



o O’ 



</> 

*> i\v <P 


A 


A 


<3 

Cl 

cfc ✓ oV <? o 

° Nc 4 » y * * S .V" • ^> y 0 * X * A 


\ 



c: 


O 1 


<>» v 

oo x 




V* <jj’ qA 

V"'* v'V^lA 

, <5. ^ 




A A 



•* ^ 

' t* • 

• x° <?* * : a -? 

« o o * * ft ^ 

" o K ° ’ i 0 ’ o »,,,*' <ft <h 

eft »i.o, -t- V s s k*«, 5 

<A ,W A V *0 *, A ' < 

^ - «A ° ^ <$> » 


<\V </> 

* A <p ft n 
r> ' 



J 0 * X * A 

A> c 0 N c * 

.1 o *> 



-» -Y/' 

s N <o v 

AV v * v '." % ^ A 

0 .x > 'p <*6 

* rsr A 

A " ^ v* 

7 v S 



*U 


a a s 


<* 


A A = 




* A> 



*>+ V 

o 0 





<V X 


A <&. 


A 



<P \ 


s s A> 

0 . « v 8 



c. v 


*o 0 X “ 



$■ 

* 1 A *’ 

-' Q^ ~f> •*■ 

ft !A ^ ' 

S ,/‘ s s-, -.’A 0 " t O 

v s .-^w * > Jy * Y *°y 

-v r- <? 5, * 

*■%<$*« jaWa n 
Y $ 

aV -/', 

. „ . . fty ^ 

< * 0 * K~* A 'V s 

^ ^ 0 ^ c A ^ 7 ^ * s 

^ ^ A * _r^ V ^ A 

^ ^ .A *■ ^ 

O 






A o 

V? 


,V 



A 


& 


o « x 



>/ V*o V"’ 11 

ji V '?- ' ’ w /• c> 

x /V <> ^ <? tx V- ^f) 

'Kc- d' ■»- rvf\ «>€C /U ° A' v, <k- 

■%• %* . 4'&' ; '\ ; v A » 

' V V ; 1 |#' 4 %^. I 

•>ti *. -t. v? As .j 

+o .eft 




A X c 0 N c ^ / 0* < ' S <* 

iXS C c^x. O- , 1 V . « v 1 8 * 


0 o X 


-'. '.A'?. 



A 


\V 


o o' 



0 N t' J * * S S *P \ \ R '*'■ L* ^ 0 o Y ^ 4A 

c - % 9 ^ f O v * * * ^ 

i/» ^ > 

^ t>* v *' 

* ^> 0 X * 

* 4 » 

'•' .V Vi- 

. -Zsfyv ~ * „ A ^ 

**fr C.V * 




* > 

.* V % •, 

A % 'Vr“""V 

%% / A*' % 

fc -< 7 - ]? o 

/s«\- ^ ^ ft 


8 l ’l 


t/> ■'v 




>r • v 

= \° ^e. >• &MMS * 4 TA 

, . .' 0 • _ * & % 
,\ v ,s *• , e*. *.*»«’ a°- o ^. ^ 

*> v 4 -'- > ■ .9 ^*», \> S' "/.• 

<r' aV» “* * <•£- <P r <? 5) * -P. v ^ <r 

*- c, ^ -<t- * jaVa ' 1 <^o * 

« VV^\V^W/% c t/> <^V 13 

o " ” ' “ 

< ■'o,!.' 4 A f 

- ^ ,# /:‘',\ ** ^.. 4 '*, 

15 >, a v 






c> 


C^* 

.o N (P p 3 ' %7'P « \ 

,0^ ^ X * 0 J, 8,1 ^\ s s 9 ft 

<$' * f{ ho '\f i <&‘ 

xV 







CV 


$?*+ 



^ % 

0 N C * \> ^ * * S S c^° * V 1 8 « ^ 
* Hz ry > 


0 O ^ O .4* 

^ -y&ys $ 

7 * 0 * X * .A 

<p AV 



^ ^ ' 3 » 0 ' 


, v ' t . 

•V A ^ 7- fP 5, « 

%/ 



C ° N C « ^ ^ 0^ 

vP * <" O r>> 



































/ 




































Tarzan 

and the 

Jewels of Opar 
























- 








Tarzan crept forward, Chulk and Taglat following behind. 
Page 204 Tarzan and The Tkwees of Opar 


TARZAN 


AND THE 


JEWELS OF OPAR 


BY 


EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS 


n 


AUTHOR OF 

TARZAN OF THE APES, 
THE BEASTS OF TARZAN, 
THE BANDIT OF HELL’S BEND, 
THE MARS BOOKS, Etc. 


ILLUSTRATED BY 

J. ALLEN ST. JOHN 





NEW YORK 

GROSSET & D UNLAP 

PUBLISHERS 


Made in the United States of America 

A 


Sl, 






Copyright 

A. C. McClurg & Co. 
1918 


Published, April, 1918 


Copyrighted in Great Britain 



, • * 


Trinted in the United States of America 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER PAGE 

I Belgian and Arab 1 

II On the Road to Opar 12 

III The Call of the Jungle ..... 21 

IV Prophecy and Fulfillment .... 32 

V The Altar of the Flaming God ... 43 

VI The Arab Raid 55 

VII The Jewel-Room of Opar 67 

VIII The Escape from Opar 76 

IX The Theft of the Jewels 87 

X Achmet Zek Sees the J ewels .... 103 
XI Tarzan Becomes a Beast Again . . . 117 

XII La Seeks Vengeance 132 

XIII Condemned to Torture and Death . . 141 

XIV A Priestess but yet a Woman . . . 158 

XV The Flight of Werper 173 

XVI Tarzan Again Leads the Mangani . . 192 

XVII The Deadly Peril of Jane Clayton . . 212 

XVIII The Fight for the Treasure .... 227 
XIX Jane Clayton and the Beasts of the 

Jungle 248 

XX Jane Clayton Again a Prisoner . . . 268 

XXI The Flight to the Jungle 286 

XXII Tarzan Recovers His Reason .... 305 

XXIII A Night of Terror 324 

XXIV Home 34Q 





Tarzan and the Jewels 
of Opar 


CHAPTER I 

BELGIAN AND ARAB 

1 IEUTENANT ALBERT WEEPER had 
J only the prestige of the name he had dishon- 
ored to thank for his narrow escape from being 
cashiered. At first he had been humbly thank- 
ful, too, that they had sent him to this God- 
forsaken Congo post instead of court-martialing 
him, as he had so justly deserved; but now six 
months of the monotony, the frightful isola- 
tion and the loneliness had wrought a change. 
The young man brooded continually over his 
fate. His days were filled with morbid self- 
pity, which eventually engendered in his weak 
and vacillating mind a hatred for those who 
had sent him here — for the very men he had 
at first inwardly thanked for saving him from 
the ignominy of degradation. 

1 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


He regretted the gay life of Brussels as he 
never had regretted the sins which had snatched 
him from that gayest of capitals, and as the 
days passed he came to center his resentment 
upon the representative in Congo land of the 
authority which had exiled him — his captain 
and immediate superior. 

This officer was a cold, taciturn man, inspir- 
ing little love in those directly beneath him, 
yet respected and feared by the black soldiers 
of his little command. 

Werper was accustomed to sit for hours glar- 
ing at his superior as the two sat upon the 
veranda of their common quarters, smoking 
their evening cigarets in a silence which neither 
seemed desirous of breaking. The senseless 
hatred of the lieutenant grew at last into a 
form of mania. The captain’s natural taci- 
turnity he distorted into a studied attempt to 
insult him because of his past shortcomings. 
He imagined that his superior held him in con- 
tempt, and so he chafed and fumed inwardly 
until one evening his madness became suddenly 
homicidal. He fingered the butt of the revolver 
at his hip, his eyes narrowed and his brows 
contracted. At last he spoke. 

2 


B-ELitflAJN AJND A±CA±5 


“ You have insulted me for the last time! ” 
he cried, springing to his feet. 6 6 1 am an offi- 
cer and a gentleman, and I shall put up with it 
no longer without an accounting from you, you 
pig.” 

The captain, an expression of surprise upon 
his features, turned toward his junior. He had 
seen men before with the jungle madness upon 
them, — the madness of solitude and unre- 
strained brooding, and perhaps a touch of 
fever. 

He rose and extended his hand to lay it upon 
the other’s shoulder. Quiet words of counsel 
were upon his lips ; but they were never spoken. 
Werper construed his superior’s action into 
an attempt to close with him. His revolver 
was on a level with the captain’s heart, and 
the latter had taken but a step when Werper 
pulled the trigger. Without a moan the man 
sank to the rough planking of the veranda, and 
as he fell the mists that had clouded Werper’s 
brain lifted, so that he saw himself and the 
deed that he had done in the same light that 
those who must judge him would see them. 

He heard excited exclamations from the 
quarters of the soldiers and he heard men run- 
3 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


ning in Ms direction. They would seize him, 
and if they didn’t kill him they would take Mm 
down the Congo to a point where a properly 
ordered military tribunal would do so just as 
effectively, though in a more regular manner. 

Werper had no desire to die. Never before 
had he so yearned for life as in this moment 
that he had so effectively forfeited Ms right 
to live. The men were nearing him. What was 
he to do? He glanced about as though search- 
ing for the tangible form of a legitimate excuse 
for his crime; but he could find only the body 
of the man he had so causelessly shot down. 

In despair, he turned and fled from the on- 
coming soldiery. Across the compound he ran, 
his revolver still clutched tightly in his hand. 
At the gates a sentry halted him. Werper did 
not pause to parley or to exert the influence of 
his commission — he merely raised his weapon 
and shot down the innocent black. A moment 
later the fugitive had torn open the gates and 
vanished into the blackness of the jungle, but 
not before he had transferred the rifle and 
ammunition belts of the dead sentry to his own 
person. 

All that night Werper fled farther and farther 
4 


BELGIAN AND ARAB 


into the heart of the wilderness. Now and again 
the voice of a lion brought him to a listening 
halt ; but with cocked and ready rifle he pushed 
ahead again, more fearful of the human hunts- 
men in his rear than of the wild carnivora 
ahead. 

Dawn came at last, but still the man plodded 
on. All sense of hunger and fatigue were lost 
in the terrors of contemplated capture. He 
could think only of escape. He dared not pause 
to rest or eat until there was no further dan- 
ger from pursuit, and so he staggered on until 
at last he fell and could rise no more. How 
long he had fled he did not know, or try to 
know. When he could flee no longer the knowl- 
edge that he had reached his limit was hidden 
from him in the unconsciousness of utter 
exhaustion. 

And thus it was that Achmet Zek, the 
Arab, found him. Achmet ’s followers were 
for running a spear through the body of their 
hereditary enemy; but Achmet would have it 
otherwise. First he would question the Bel- 
gian. It were easier to question a man first 
and kill him afterward, than kill him first and 
then question him. 


5 


TAKZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAE 


So lie had Lieutenant Albert Werper carried 
to his own tent, and there slaves administered 
wine and food in small quantities until at last 
the prisoner regained consciousness. As he 
opened his eyes he saw the faces of strange 
black men about him, and just outside the tent 
the figure of an Arab. Nowhere was the uni- 
form of his soldiers to be seen. 

The Arab turned and seeing the open eyes 
of the prisoner upon him, entered the tent. 

“ I am Achmet Zek,” he announced. “ Who 
are you, and what were you doing in my coun- 
try 1 Where are your soldiers % 9 9 

Achmet Zek! Werper’s eyes went wide, and 
his heart sank. He was in the clutches of the 
most notorious of cut-throats — a hater of all 
Europeans, especially those who wore the uni- 
form of Belgium. For years the military forces 
of Belgian Congo had waged a fruitless war 
upon this man and his followers — a war in 
which quarter had never been asked nor ex- 
pected by either side. 

But presently in the very hatred of the man 
for Belgians, Werper saw a faint ray of hope 
for himself. He, too, was an outcast and an 
outlaw. So far, at least, they possessed a com- 
6 


BELGIAN AND ARAB 


mon interest, and Werper decided to play upon 
it for all that it might yield. 

“ I have heard of you,” he replied, “ and 
was searching for you. My people have turned 
against me. I hate them. Even now their sol- 
diers are searching for me, to kill me. I knew 
that you would protect me from them, for you, 
too, hate them. In return I will take service 
with you. I am a trained soldier. I can fight, 
and your enemies are my enemies . 9 ’ 

Achmet Zek eyed the European in silence. 
In his mind he revolved many thoughts, chief 
among which was that the unbeliever lied. Of 
course there was the chance that he did not 
lie, and if he told the truth then his proposi- 
tion was one well worthy of consideration, since 
fighting men were never over plentiful — espe- 
cially white men with the training and knowl- 
edge of military matters that a European officer 
must possess. 

Achmet Zek scowled and Werper ’s heart 
sank; but Werper did not know Achmet Zek, 
who was quite apt to scowl where another would 
smile, and smile where another would scowl. 

“ And if you have lied to me,” said Achmet 
Zek, “ I will kill you at any time. What re- 
7 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


turn, other than your life, do yon expect for 
your services 1 ’ ’ 

“My keep only, at first,’ ’ replied Werper. 
“Later, if I am worth more, we can easily 
reach an understanding. ’ ’ Werper ’s only de- 
sire at the moment was to preserve his life. 
And so the agreement was reached and Lieu- 
tenant Albert Werper became a member of the 
ivory and slave raiding band of the notorious 
Achmet Zek. 

For months the renegade Belgian rode with 
the savage raiders. He fought with a savage 
abandon, and a vicious cruelty fully equal to 
that of his fellow desperadoes. Achmet Zek 
watched his recruit with eagle eye, and with a 
growing satisfaction which finally found expres- 
sion in a greater confidence in the man, and 
resulted in an increased independence of action 
for Werper. 

Achmet Zek took the Belgian into his con- 
fidence to a great extent, and at last unfolded 
to him a pet scheme which the Arab had long 
fostered, but which he never had found an 
opportunity to effect. With the aid of a Euro- 
pean, however, the thing might be easily accom- 
plished. He sounded Werper. 

8 


BELGIAN AND ARAB 


“ You have heard of the man men call Tar- 
zan? ” he asked. 

Werper nodded. “ I have heard of him; but 

I do not know him.” 

i i But for him we might carry on our ‘ trad- 
ing ’ in safety and with great profit,” contin- 
ued the Arab. “ For years he has fought us, 
driving us from the richest part of the coun- 
try, harassing us, and arming the natives that 
they may repel us when we come to ‘ trade. ’ 
He is very rich. If we could find some way to 
make him pay us many pieces of gold we should 
not only be avenged upon him; but repaid for 
much that he has prevented us from winning 
from the natives under his protection. ’ 9 

Werper withdrew a cigaret from a jeweled 
case and lighted it. 

“ And you have a plan to make him pay? ” 
he asked. 

“He has a wife,” replied Achmet Zek, 

I I whom men say is very beautiful. She would 
bring a great price farther north, if we found 
it too difficult to collect ransom money from this 
Tarzan.” 

Werper bent his head in thought. Achmet 
Zek stood awaiting his reply. What good re- 
9 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


mained in Albert Werper revolted at the 
thought of selling a white woman into the slav- 
ery and degradation of a Moslem harem. He 
looked np at Achmet Zek. He saw the Arab’s 
eyes narrow, and he guessed that the other 
had sensed his antagonism to the plan. What 
would it mean to Werper to refuse! His life 
lay in the hands of this semi-barbarian, who 
esteemed the life of an unbeliever less highly 
than that of a dog. Werper loved life. What 
was this woman to him, anyway! She was a 
European, doubtless, a member of organized 
society. He was an outcast. The hand of 
every white man was against him. She was 
his natural enemy, and if he refused to lend 
himself to her undoing, Achmet Zek would have 
him killed. 

“ You hesitate,” murmured the Arab. 

“ I was but weighing the chances of success,” 
lied Werper, “ and my reward. As a Euro- 
pean I can gain admittance to their home and 
table. You have no other with you who could 
do so much. The risk will be great. I should 
be well paid, Achmet Zek. ’ ’ 

A smile of relief passed over the raider’s 
face. 


10 


BELGIAN AND ARAB 


“Well said, Werper,” and Achmet Zek 
slapped his lieutenant upon the shoulder. 
“ You should be well paid and you shall. Now 
let us sit together and plan how best the thing 
may be done,” and the two men squatted upon 
a soft rug beneath the faded silks of Achmet ’s 
once gorgeous tent, and talked together in low 
voices well into the night. Both were tall and 
bearded, and the exposure to sun and wind 
had given an almost Arab hue to the Euro- 
pean’s complexion. In every detail of dress, 
too, he copied the fashions of his chief, so that 
outwardly he was as much an Arab as the other. 
It was late when he arose and retired to his 
own tent. 

The following day Werper spent in over- 
hauling his Belgian uniform, removing from 
it every vestige of evidence that might indicate 
its military purposes. From a heterogeneous 
collection of loot, Achmet Zek procured a pith 
helmet and a European saddle, and from his 
black slaves and followers a party of porters, 
askaris and tent boys to make up a modest 
safari for a big game hunter. At the head of 
this party Werper set out from camp. 


11 


CHAPTER II 


ON THE ROAD TO OPAR 

I T WAS two weeks later that John Clayton, 
Lord Greystoke, riding in from a tour of 
inspection of his vast African estate, glimpsed 
the head of a column of men crossing the plain 
that lay between his bungalow and the forest 
to the north and west. 

He reined in his horse and watched the little 
party as it emerged from a concealing swale. 
His keen eyes caught the reflection of the sun 
upon the white helmet of a mounted man, and 
with the conviction that a wandering Euro- 
pean hunter was seeking his hospitality, he 
wheeled his mount and rode slowly forward to 
meet the newcomer. 

A half hour later he was mounting the steps 
leading to the veranda of his bungalow, and 
introducing M. Jules Frecoult to Lady Grey- 
stoke. 

“I was completely lost,” M. Frecoult was 
explaining. “My head man had never before 
been in this part of the country and the guides 
12 


ON THE ROAD TO OPAR 


who were to have accompanied me from the 
last village we passed knew even less of the 
country than we. They finally deserted us two 
days since. I am very fortunate indeed to have 
stumbled s 9 providentially upon succor. I do 
not know what I should have done, had I not 
found you.” 

It was decided that Frecoult and his party 
should remain several days, or until they were 
thoroughly rested, when Lord Greystoke would 
furnish guides to lead them safely back into 
country with which Frecoult *s head man was 
supposedly familiar. 

In his guise of a French gentleman of leisure, 
Werper found little difficulty in deceiving his 
host and in ingratiating himself with both Tar- 
zan and Jane Clayton; but the longer he re- 
mained the less hopeful he became of an easy 
accomplishment of his designs. 

Lady Greystoke never rode alone at any great 
distance from the bungalow, and the savage 
loyalty of the ferocious Waziri warriors who 
formed a great part of Tarzan’s followers 
seemed to preclude the possibility of a success- 
ful attempt at forcible abduction, or of the 
bribery of the Waziri themselves. 

13 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


A week passed, and Werper was no nearer 
the fulfillment of his plan, in so far as he could 
judge, than upon the day of his arrival, hut at 
that very moment something occurred which 
gave him renewed hope and set his mind upon 
an even greater reward than a woman’s ransom. 

A runner had arrived at the bungalow with 
the weekly mail, and Lord Greystoke had spent 
the afternoon in his study reading and answer- 
ing letters. At dinner he seemed distraught, 
and early in the evening he excused himself 
and retired, Lady Greystoke following him 
Very soon after. Werper, sitting upon the 
veranda, could hear their voices in earnest dis- 
cussion, and having realized that something of 
unusual moment was afoot, he quietly rose from 
his chair, and keeping well in the shadow of the 
shrubbery growing profusely about the bunga- 
low, made his silent way to a point beneath the 
window of the room in which his host and host- 
ess slept. 

Here he listened, and not without result, for 
almost the first words he overheard filled him 
with excitement. Lady Greystoke was speak- 
ing as Werper came within hearing. 

“I always feared for the stability of the 
14 


ON THE ROAD TO OPAR 


company,” she was saying; 44 but it seems in- 
credible that they should have failed for so 
enormous a sum — unless there has been some 
dishonest manipulation.” 

44 That is what I suspect,” replied Tarzan; 
“ but whatever the cause, the fact remains that 
I have lost everything, and there is nothing for 
it but to return to Opar and get more. ’ 9 

“Oh, John,” cried Lady Greystoke, and 
Werper could feel the shudder through her 
voice, 44 is there no other way? I cannot bear 
to think of you returning to that frightful cityo 
I would rather live in poverty always than 
to have you risk the hideous dangers of Opar.” 

“You need have no fear,” replied Tarzan, 
laughing. 4 4 1 am pretty well able to take care 
of myself, and were I not, the Waziri who will 
accompany me will see that no harm befalls 
me.” 

44 They ran away from Opar once, and left 
you to your fate,” she reminded him. 

44 They will not do it again,” he answered, 
4 4 They were very much ashamed of themselves, 
and were coming back when I met them . 9 9 

44 But there must be some other way,” in- 
sisted the woman. 


15 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


4< There is no other way half so easy to 
obtain another fortune, as to go to the treasure 
vaults of Opar and bring it away,” he replied. 
“ I shall he very careful, Jane, and the chances 
are that the inhabitants of Opar will never 
know that I have been there again and despoiled 
them of another portion of the treasure, the 
very existence of which they are as ignorant 
of as they would be of its value.” 

The finality in his tone seemed to assure 
Lady Greystoke that further argument was 
futile, and so she abandoned the subject. 

Werper remained, listening, for a short time, 
and then, confident that he had overheard all 
that was necessary and fearing discovery, re- 
turned to the veranda, where he smoked numer- 
ous cigarets in rapid succession before retiring. 

The following morning at breakfast, Werper 
announced his intention of making an early 
departure, and asked Tarzan’s permission to 
hunt big game in the Waziri country on his way 
out — permission which Lord Greystoke readily 
granted. 

The Belgian consumed two days in complet- 
ing his preparations, but finally got away with 
his safari, accompanied by a single Waziri 
16 


ON THE ROAD TO OPAR 


guide whom Lord Greystoke had loaned him. 
The party made but a single short march when 
Werper simulated illness, and announced his 
intention of remaining where he was until he 
had fully recovered. As they had gone hut a 
short distance from the Greystoke bungalow, 
Werper dismissed the Waziri guide, telling the 
varrior that he would send for him when he 
was able to proceed. The Waziri gone, the 
Belgian summoned one of Achmet Zek’s trusted 
blacks to his tent, and dispatched him to watch 
for the departure of Tarzan, returning imme- 
diately to advise Werper of the event and the 
direction taken by the Englishman. 

The Belgian did not have long to wait, for 
the following day his emissary returned with 
word that Tarzan and a party of fifty Waziri 
warriors had set out toward the southeast early 
in the morning. 

Werper called his head man to him, after 
writing a long letter to Achmet Zek. This let- 
ter he handed to the head man. 

“ Send a runner at once to Achmet Zek with 
this,” he instructed the head man. “ Remain 
here in camp awaiting further instructions 
from him or from me. If any come from the 
17 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


bungalow of the Englishman, tell them that 
I am very ill within my tent and can see no 
one. Now, give me six porters and six 
askaris — the strongest and bravest of the 
safari — and I will march after the English- 
man and discover where his gold is hidden. ’ 9 

And so it was that as Tarzan, stripped to the 
loin cloth and armed after the primitive fash- 
ion he best loved, led his loyal Waziri toward 
the dead city of Opar, Werper, the renegade, 
haunted his trail through the long, hot days, 
and camped close behind him by night. 

And as they marched, Achmet Zek rode with 
his entire following southward toward the Grey- 
stoke farm. 

To Tarzan of the Apes the expedition was 
in the nature of a holiday outing. His civili- 
sation was at best but an outward veneer which 
he gladly peeled off with his uncomfortable 
European clothes whenever any reasonable pre- 
text presented itself. It was a woman’s love 
which kept Tarzan even to the semblance of 
civilization — a condition for which familiarity 
had bred contempt. He hated the shams and 
the hypocrisies of it and with the clear vision 
of an unspoiled mind he had penetrated to 
18 


ON THE ROAD TO OPAR 


the rotten core of the heart of the thing — the 
cowardly greed for peace and ease and the 
safeguarding of property rights. That the fine 
things of life — art, music and literature » — had 
thriven upon such enervating ideals he strenu- 
ously denied, insisting, rather, that they had 
endured in spite of civilization. 

“ Show me the fat, opulent cowarcr,” he was 
wont to say, “ who ever originated a beautiful 
ideal. In the clash of arms, in the battle for 
survival, amid hunger and death and danger, 
in the face of God as manifested in the display 
of Nature’s most terrific forces, is born all that 
is finest and best in the human heart and mind . 99 

And so Tarzan always came back to Nature 
in the spirit of a lover keeping a long deferred 
tryst after a period behind prison walls. His 
Waziri, at marrow, were more civilized than 
he. They cooked their meat before they ate it 
and they shunned many articles of food as un- 
clean that Tarzan had eaten with gusto all his 
life and so fnsidious is the virus of hypocrisy 
that even the stalwart ape-man hesitated to 
give rein to his natural longings before them. 
He ate burnt flesh when he would have pre- 
ferred it raw and unspoiled, and he brought 
19 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


down game with arrow or spear when he would 
far rather have leaped upon it from ambush 
and sunk his strong teeth in its jugular; but 
at last the call of the milk of the savage mother 
that had suckled him in infancy rose to an in- 
sistent demand — he craved the hot blood of a 
fresh kill and his muscles yearned to pit them- 
selves against the savage jungle in the battle 
for existence that had been his sole birthright 
for the first twenty years of his life. 


20 


CHAPTER m 

THE CALL OF THE JUNGLE 


M OVED by these vague yet all-powerful 
urgings the ape-man lay awake one 
night in the little thorn boma that protected, in 
a way, his party from the depredations of the 
great carnivora of the jungle. A single war- 
rior stood sleepy guard beside the fire that 
yellow eyes out of the darkness beyond the 
camp made imperative. The moans and the 
coughing of the big cats mingled with the 
myriad noises of the lesser denizens of the jun- 
gle to fan the savage flame in the breast of this 
savage English lord. He tossed upon his bed 
of grasses, sleepless, for an hour and then he 
rose, noiseless as a wraith, and while the 
WazirPs back was turned, vaulted the boma 
wall in the face of the flaming eyes, swung 
silently into a great tree and was gone. 

For a time in sheer exuberance of animal 
spirit he raced swiftly through the middle ter- 
race, swinging perilously across wide spans 
21 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


from one jungle giant to the next, and then he 
clambered upward to the swaying, lesser boughs 
of the upper terrace where the moon shone full 
upon him and the air was stirred by little 
breezes and death lurked ready in each frail 
branch. Here he paused and raised his face 
to Goro, the moon. With uplifted arm he stood, 
the cry of the bull ape quivering upon his lips, 
yet he remained silent lest he arouse his faithful 
Waziri who were all too familiar with the hide- 
ous challenge of their master. 

And then he went on more slowly andjvith 
greater stealth and caution, for now Tarzan of 
the Apes was seeking a kill. Down to the 
ground he came in the utter blackness of the 
close-set boles and the overhanging verdure of 
the jungle. He stooped from time to time and 
put his nose close to earth. He sought and 
found a wide game trail and at last his nos- 
trils were rewarded with the scent of the fresh 
spoor of Bara, the deer. Tarzan’s mouth wa- 
tered and a low growl escaped his patrician 
lips. Sloughed from him was the last vestige 
of artificial caste — once again he was the pri- 
meval hunter — the first man — the highest 
caste type of the human race. Up wind he 
22 


THE CALL OF THE JUNGLE 


followed the elusive spoor with sense of per- 
ception so transcending that of ordinary man 
as to be inconceivable to us. Through counter 
currents of the heavy stench of meat eaters he 
traced the trail of Bara ; the sweet and cloying 
stink of Horta, the boar, could not drown his 
quarry’s scent — the permeating, mellow musk 
of the deer’s foot. 

Presently the body scent of the deer told 
Tarzan that his prey was close at hand. It 
sent him into the trees again — into the lower 
terrace where he could watch the ground be- 
low and catch with ears and nose the first in- 
timation of actual contact with his quarry. Nor 
was it long before the ape-man came upon Bara 
standing alert at the edge of a moon-bathed 
clearing. Noiselessly Tarzan crept through the 
trees until he was directly over the deer. In 
the ape-man’s right hand was the long hunt- 
ing knife of his father and in his heart the 
blood lust of the carnivore. Just for an instant 
he poised above the unsuspecting Bara and then 
he launched himself downward upon the sleek 
back. The impact of his weight carried the 
deer to its knees and before the animal could 
regain its feet the knife had found its heart. 

23 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAL 


As Tarzan rose upon the body of his kill to 
scream forth his hideous victory cry into the 
face of the moon the wind carried to his nos- 
trils something which froze him to statuesque 
immobility and silence. His savage eyes 
blazed into the direction from which the wind 
had borne down the warning to him and a 
moment later the grasses at one side of the 
clearing parted and Numa, the lion, strode ma- 
jestically into view. His yellow-green eyes 
were fastened upon Tarzan as he halted just 
within the clearing and glared enviously at the 
successful hunter, for Numa had had no luck 
this night. 

From the lips of the ape-man broke a rum- 
bling growl of warning. Numa answered but 
he did not advance. Instead he stood waving 
his tail gently to and fro, and presently Tar- 
zan squatted upon his kill and cut a generous 
portion from a hind quarter. Numa eyed him 
with growing resentment and rage as, between 
mouthfuls, the ape-man growled out his savage 
warnings. Now this particular lion had never 
before come in contact with Tarzan of the Apes 
and he was much mystified. Here was the 
appearance and the scent of a man-thing and 
24 


THE CALL OF THE JUNGLE 


Numa had tasted of human flesh and learned 
that though not the most palatable it was cer- 
tainly by far the easiest to secure, yet there was 
that in the bestial growls of the strange crea- 
ture which reminded him of formidable antago- 
nists and gave him pause, while his hunger and 
the odor of the hot flesh of Bara goaded him 
almost to madness. Always Tarzan watched 
him, guessing what was passing in the little 
brain of the carnivore and well it was that he 
did watch him, for at last Numa could stand 
it no longer. His tail shot suddenly erect and 
at the same instant the wary ape-man, know- 
ing all too well what the signal portended, 
grasped the remainder of the deer’s hind quar- 
ter between his teeth and leaped into a nearby 
tree as Numa charged him with all the speed 
and a sufficient semblance of the weight of an 
express train. 

Tarzan ’s retreat was no indication that he 
felt fear. Jungle life is ordered along different 
lines than ours and different standards pre- 
vail. Had Tarzan been famished he would, 
doubtless, have stood his ground and met the 
lion’s charge. He had done the thing before 
upon more than one occasion, just as in the 
25 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


past lie had charged lions himself ; but tonight 
he was far from famished and in the hind 
quarter he had carried off: with him was more 
raw flesh than he could eat; yet it was with 
no equanimity that he looked down upon Numa 
rending the flesh of Tarzan ’skill. The presump- 
tion of this strange Numa must be punished! 
And forthwith Tarzan set out to make life 
miserable for the big cat. Close by were many 
trees bearing large, hard fruits and to one of 
these the ape-man swung with the agility of 
a squirrel. Then commenced a bombardment 
which brought forth earth-shaking roars from 
Numa. One after another as rapidly as he 
could gather and hurl them Tarzan pelted the 
hard fruit down upon the lion. It was impos- 
sible for the tawny cat to eat under that hail 
of missiles — he could but roar and growl and 
dodge and eventually he was driven away en- 
tirely from the carcass of Bara, the deer. He 
went roaring and resentful; but in the very 
center of the clearing his voice was suddenly 
hushed and Tarzan saw the great head lower 
and flatten out, the body crouch and the long 
tail quiver, as the beast slunk cautiously toward 
the trees upon the opposite side. 

26 


THE CALL OF THE JUNG/jE 


Immediately Tarzan was alert. He lifted his 
head and sniffed the slow, jungle breeze. What 
was it that had attracted Numa’s attention and 
taken him soft-footed and silent away from the 
scene of his discomfiture? Just as the lion 
disappeared among the trees beyond the clear- 
ing Tarzan caught upon the down-coming wind 
the explanation of his new interest — the 
scent spoor of man was wafted strongly to the 
sensitive nostrils. Caching the remainder of 
the deer’s hind quarter in the crotch of a tree 
the ape-man wiped his greasy palms upon his 
naked thighs and swung off in pursuit of Numa. 
A broad, well-beaten elephant path led into the 
forest from the clearing. Parallel to this slunk 
Numa, while above him Tarzan moved through 
the trees, the shadow of a wraith. The savage 
cat and the savage man saw Numa’s quarry 
almost simultaneously, though both had known 
before it came within the vision of their eyes 
that it was a black man. Their sensitive nos- 
trils had told them this much and Tarzan ’s had 
told him that the scent spoor was that of a 
stranger — old and a male, for race and sex 
and age' each has its own distinctive scent. It 
was an old man that made his way alone through 
27 


TAKZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


the gloomy jungle, a wrinkled, dried up, little 
old man hideously scarred and tattooed and 
strangely garbed, with the skin of a hyena 
about his shoulders and the dried head mounted 
upon his grey pate. Tarzan recognized the 
ear-marks of the witch-doctor and awaited 
Numa’s charge with a feeling of pleasurable 
anticipation, for the ape-man had no love for 
witch-doctors ; but in the instant that Numa did 
charge, the white man suddenly recalled that 
the lion had stolen his kill a few minutes before 
and that revenge is sweet. 

The first intimation the black man had that 
he was in danger was the crash of twigs as 
Numa charged through the bushes into the 
game trail not twenty yards behind him. Then 
he turned to see a huge, black-maned lion rac- 
ing toward him and even as he turned, Numa 
seized him. At the same instant the ape-man 
dropped from an overhanging limb full upon 
the lion’s back and as he alighted he plunged 
his knife into the tawny side behind the left 
shoulder, tangled the fingers of his right hand 
in the long mane, buried his teeth in Numa’s 
neck and wound his powerful legs about the 
beast’s torso. With a roar of pain and rage, 
28 


THE CALL OF THE JUNGLE 


Numa reared up and fell backward upon the 
ape-man; but still the mighty man-thing clung 
to his hold and repeatedly the long knife 
plunged rapidly into his side. Over and over 
rolled Numa, the lion, clawing and biting at the 
air, roaring and growling horribly in savage 
attempt to reach the thing upon its back. More 
than once was Tarzan almost brushed from his 
hold. He was battered and bruised and cov- 
ered with blood from Numa and dirt from the 
trail, yet not for an instant did he lessen the 
ferocity of his mad attack nor his grim hold 
upon the back of his antagonist. To have loos- 
ened for an instant his grip there, would have 
been to bring him within reach of those tear- 
ing talons or rending fangs, and have ended 
forever the grim career of this jungle-bred 
English lord. Where he had fallen beneath 
the spring of the lion the witch-doctor lay, torn 
and bleeding, unable to drag himself away and 
watched the terrific battle between these two 
lords of the jungle. His sunken eyes glittered 
and his wrinkled lips moved over toothless 
gums as he mumbled weird incantations to the 
demons of his cult. 

For a time he felt no doubt as to the out- 
29 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


come — the strange white man must certainly 
succumb to terrible Simba — whoever heard of 
a lone man armed only with a knife slaying so 
mighty a beast! Yet presently the old black 
man’s eyes went wider and he commenced to 
have his doubts and misgivings. What won- 
derful sort of creature was this that battled 
with Simba and held his own despite the mighty 
muscles of the king of beasts and slowly there 
dawned in those sunken eyes, gleaming so 
brightly from the scarred and wrinkled face, 
the light of a dawning recollection. Gropingly 
backward into the past reached the fingers of 
memory, until at last they seized upon a faint 
picture, faded and yellow with the passing 
years. It was the picture of a lithe, white- 
skinned youth swinging through the trees in 
company with a band of huge apes, and the 
old eyes blinked and a great fear came into 
them — the superstitious fear of one who be- 
lieves in ghosts and spirits and demons. 

And came the time once more when the witch- 
doctor no longer doubted the outcome of the 
duel, yet his first judgment was reversed, for 
now he knew that the jungle god would slay 
Simba and the old black was even more terri- 
30 


THE CALL OF THE JUNGLE 


fied of his own impending fate at the hands 
of the victor than he had been by the sure and 
sudden death which the triumphant lion would 
have meted out to him. He saw the lion weaken 
from loss of blood. He saw the mighty limbs 
tremble and stagger and at last he saw the 
beast sink down to rise no more. He saw the 
forest god or demon rise from the vanquished 
foe, and placing a foot upon the still quivering 
carcass, raise his face to the moon and bay out 
a hideous cry that froze the ebbing blood in 
the veins of the witch-doctor. 


3X 


CHAPTER IV 


PROPHECY AND FULFILLMENT 

T HEN Tarzan turned his attention to tlie 
man. He had not slain Numa to save the 
negro — he had merely done it in revenge upon 
the lion ; hut now that he saw the old man lying 
helpless and dying before him something akin 
to pity touched his savage heart. In his youth 
he would have slain the witch-doctor without 
the slightest compunction; but civilization had 
had its softening effect upon him even as it 
does upon the nations and races wMch it 
touches, though it had not yet gone far enough 
with Tarzan to render him either cowardly or 
effeminate. He saw an old man suffering and 
dying, and he stooped and felt of his wounds 
and stanched the flow of blood. 

“Who are you? 99 asked the old man in a 
trembling voice. 

“ I am Tarzan — Tarzan of the Apes,” re- 
plied the ape-man and not without a greater 
touch of pride than he would have said, “ I am 
John Clayton, Lord Greystoke.” 

32 


PROPHECY AND FULFILLMENT 


The witch-doctor shook convulsively and 
closed his eyes. When he opened them again 
there was in them a resignation to whatever 
horrible fate awaited him at the hands of this 
feared demon of the woods. ‘ 6 Why do you not 
kill me? ” he asked. 

“ Why should I kill you? ” inquired Tarzan. 
“You have not harmed me, and anyway you 
are already dying. Numa, the lion, has killed 
you.” 

“You would not kill me?” Surprise and 
incredulity were in the tones of the quavering 
old voice. 

“ I would save you if I could,” replied Tar- 
zan , i 6 but that cannot be done. Why did you 
think I would kill you? ” 

For a moment the old man was silent. When 
he spoke it was evidently after some little effort 
to muster his courage. “ I knew you of old,” 
he said, 6 1 when you ranged the jungle in the 
country of Mbonga, the chief. I was already 
a witch-doctor when you slew Kulonga and the 
others, and when you robbed our huts and our 
poison pot. At first I did not remember you; 
but at last I did — the white-skinned ape that 
lived with the hairy apes and made life miser- 
33 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


able in the village of Mbonga, the chief — the 
forest god — the Munango-Keewati for whom 
we set food outside our gates and who came and 
ate it. Tell me before I die — are you man or 
devil? ” 

Tarzan laughed. “ I am a man,” he said. 

The old fellow sighed and shook his head. 
“You have tried to save me from Simba,” he 
said. “ For that I shall reward you. I am a 
great witch-doctor. Listen to me, white man! 
I see bad days ahead of you. It is writ in my 
own blood which I have smeared upon my palm. 
A god greater even than you will rise up and 
strike you down. Turn back, Munango-Kee- 
wati ! Turn back before it is too late. Danger 
lies ahead of you and danger lurks behind; but 
greater is the danger before. I see — 77 He 
paused and drew a long, gasping breath. Then 
he crumpled into a little, wrinkled heap and 
died. Tarzan wondered what else he had seen. 

It was very late when the ape-man re-entered 
the boma and lay down among his black war- 
riors. None had seen him go and none saw him 
return. He thought about the warning of the 
old witch-doctor before he fell asleep and he 
thought of it again after he awoke ; but he did 
34 


PROPHECY AND FULFILLMENT 


not turn back for he was unafraid, though had 
he known what lay in store for one he loved 
most in all the world he would have flown 
through the trees to her side and allowed the 
gold of Opar to remain forever hidden in its 
forgotten storehouse. 

Behind him that morning another white man 
pondered something he had heard during the 
night and very nearly did he give up his proj- 
ect and turn back upon his trail. It was Wer- 
per, the murderer, who in the still of the night 
had heard far away upon the trail ahead of 
him a sound that had filled his cowardly soul 
with terror — a sound such as he never before 
had heard in all his life, nor dreamed that such 
a frightful thing could emanate from the lungs 
of a God-created creature. He had heard the 
victory cry of the* bull ape as Tarzan had 
screamed it forth into the face of Goro, the 
moon, and he had trembled then and hidden 
his face ; and now in the broad light of a new 
day he trembled again as he recalled it, and 
would have turned back from the nameless dan- 
ger the echo of that frightful sound seemed to 
portend, had he not stood in even greater fear 
of Achmet Zek, his master. 

35 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


And so Tarzan of the Apes forged steadily 
ahead toward Opar’s ruined ramparts and be- 
hind him slunk Werper, jackal-like, and only 
God knew what lay in store for each. 

At the edge of the desolate valley, overlook- 
ing the golden domes and minarets of Opar, 
Tarzan halted. By night he would go alone to 
the treasure vault, reconnoitering, for he had 
determined that caution should mark his every 
move upon this expedition. 

With the coming of night he set forth, and 
Werper, who had scaled the cliffs alone behind 
the ape-man’s party, and hidden through the 
day among the rough boulders of the mountain 
top, slunk stealthily after him. The boulder- 
strewn plain between the valley’s edge and 
the mighty granite kopje, outside the city’s 
walls, where lay the entrance to the passage- 
way leading to the treasure vault, gave the 
Belgian ample cover as he followed Tarzan 
toward Opar. 

He saw the giant ape-man swing himself 
nimbly up the face of the great rock. Werper, 
clawing fearfully during the perilous ascent, 
sweating in terror, almost palsied by fear, but 
spurred on by avarice, followed upward, until 
36 


PROPHECY AND FULFILLMENT 


at last he stood upon the summit of the rocky 
hill. 

Tarzan was nowhere in sight. For a time 
Werper hid behind one of the lesser boulders 
that were scattered over the top of the hill, but, 
seeing or hearing nothing of the Englishman, 
he crept from his place of concealment to under* 
take a systematic search of his surroundings, 
in the hope that he might discover the location 
of the treasure in ample time to make his escape 
before Tarzan returned, for it was the Bel- 
gian^ desire merely to locate the gold, that^ 
after Tarzan had departed, he might come in 
safety with his followers and carry away as 
much as he could transport. 

He found the narrow cleft leading downward 
into the heart of the kopje along well-worn, 
granite steps. He advanced quite to the dark 
mouth of the tunnel into which the runway dis- 
appeared ; but here he halted, fearing to enter, 
lest he meet Tarzan returning. 

The ape-man, far ahead of him, groped his 
way along the rocky passage, until he came to 
the ancient wooden door. A moment later he 
stood within the treasure chamber, where, ages 
since, long-dead hands had ranged the lofty 
37 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


rows of precious ingots for the rulers of that 
great continent which now lies submerged 
beneath the waters of the Atlantic. 

No sound broke the stillness of the subter- 
ranean vault. There was no evidence that an- 
other had discovered the forgotten wealth since 
last the ape-man had visited its hiding place. 

Satisfied, Tarzan turned and retraced his 
steps toward the summit of the kopje. Wer- 
per, from the concealment of a jutting, granite 
shoulder, watched him pass up from the shad- 
ows of the stairway and advance toward the 
edge of the hill which faced the rim of the 
valley where the Waziri awaited the signal of 
their master. Then Werper, slipping stealthily 
from his hiding place, dropped into the somber 
darkness of the entrance and disappeared. 

Tarzan, halting upon the kopje’s edge, raised 
his voice in the thunderous roar of a lion. 
Twice, at regular intervals, he repeated the 
call, standing in attentive silence for several 
minutes after the echoes of the third call had 
died away. And then, from far across the val- 
ley, faintly, came an answering roar — once, 
twice, thrice. Basuli, the Waziri chieftain, had 
heard and replied. 


38 


PROPHECY AND FULFILLMENT 


Tarzan again made Ms way toward the treas- 
ure vault, knowing that in a few hours his 
blacks would be with him, ready to bear away 
another fortune in the strangely shaped, golden 
ingots of Opar. In the meantime he would 
carry as much of the precious metal to the sum- 
mit of the kopje as he could. 

Six trips he made in the five hours before 
Basuli reached the kopje, and at the end of that 
time he had transported forty-eight ingots to 
the edge of the great boulder, carrying upon 
each trip a load which might well have stag- 
gered two ordinary men, yet his giant frame 
showed no evidence of fatigue, as he helped 
to raise his ebon warriors to the hill top with 
the rope that had been brought for the purpose. 

Six times he had returned to the treasure 
chamber, and six times Werper, the Belgian, 
had cowered in the black shadows at the far 
end of the long vault. Once again came the 
ape-man, and this time there came with him 
fifty fighting Men, turned porters for love of 
the only creature in the world who might com- 
mand of their fierce and haughty natures such 
menial service. Fifty-two more ingots passed 
out of the vaults, making the total of one hun- 
39 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


dred which Tarzan intended taking away with 
him. 

As the last of the Waziri filed from the cham- 
ber, Tarzan turned back for a last glimpse of 
the fabulous wealth upon which his two in- 
roads had made no appreciable impression. 
Before he extinguished the single candle he had 
brought with him for the purpose, and the 
flickering light of which had cast the first alle- 
viating rays into the impenetrable darkness of 
the buried chamber, that it had known for the 
countless ages since it had lain forgotten of 
man, Tarzan ’s mind reverted to that first occa- 
sion upon which he had entered the treasure 
vault, coming upon it by chance as he fled from 
the pits beneath the temple, where he had been 
hidden by La, the High Priestess of the Sun 
Worshipers. 

He recalled the scene within the temple when 
he had lain stretched upon the sacrificial altar, 
while La, with high-raised dagger, stood above 
him, and the rows of priests and priestesses 
awaited, in the ecstatic hysteria of fanaticism, 
the first gush of their victim’s warm blood, 
that they might fill their golden goblets and 
drink to the glory of their Flaming God. 

40 


PROPHECY AND FULFILLMENT 


The brutal and bloody interruption by Tha, 
the mad priest, passed vividly before the ape- 
man’s recollective eye, the flight of the votaries 
before the insane blood lust of the hideous crea- 
ture, the brutal attack upon La, and his own 
part in the grim tragedy when he had battled 
with the infuriated Oparian and left him dead 
at the feet of the priestess he would have pro- 
faned. 

This and much more passed through Tarzan’s 
memory as he stood gazing at the long tiers 
of dull-yellow metal. He wondered if La still 
ruled in the temples of the ruined city whose 
crumbling walls rose upon the very foundations 
about him. Had she finally been forced into 
a union with one of her grotesque priests? It 
seemed a hideous fate, indeed, for one so beau- 
tiful. With a shake of his head, Tarzan stepped 
to the flickering candle, extinguished its feeble 
rays and turned toward the exit. 

Behind him the spy waited for him to be 
gone. He had learned the secret for which he 
had come, and now he could return at his leisure 
to his waiting followers, bring them to the 
treasure vault and carry away all the gold that 
they could stagger under. 

41 


TAKZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAK 


The Waziri had reached the outer end of 
the tunnel, and were winding upward toward 
the fresh air and the welcome starlight of the 
kopje’s summit, before Tarzan shook off the de- 
taining hand of reverie and started slowly after 
them. 

Once again, and, he thought, for the last time, 
he closed the massive door of the treasure 
room. In the darkness behind him Werper 
rose and stretched his cramped muscles. He 
stretched forth a hand and lovingly caressed 
a golden ingot on the nearest tier. He raised 
it from its immemorial resting place and 
weighed it in his hands. He clutched it to his 
bosom in an ecstasy of avarice. 

Tarzan dreamed of the happy homecoming 
which lay before him, of dear arms about his 
neck, and a soft cheek pressed to his ; but there 
rose to dispel that dream the memory of the 
old witch-doctor and his warning. 

And then, in the span of a few brief seconds, 
the hopes of both these men were shattered. 
The one forgot even his greed in the panic of 
terror — the other was plunged into total for- 
getfulness of the past by a jagged fragment of 
rock which gashed a deep cut upon his head. 

42 


CHAPTER V 

THE ALTAR OF THE FLAMING GOD 

I T WAS at the moment that Tarzan turned 
from the closed door to pursue his way to the 
outer world. The thing came without warning. 
One instant all was quiet and stability — the 
next, and the world rocked, the tortured sides of 
the narrow passageway split and crumbled, 
great blocks of granite, dislodged from the ceil- 
ing, tumbled into the narrow way, choking it, 
and the walls bent inward upon the wreckage. 
Beneath the blow of a fragment of the roof, 
Tarzan staggered back against the door to the 
treasure room, his weight pushed it open and 
his body rolled inward upon the floor. 

In the great apartment where the treasure 
lay less damage was wrought by the earth- 
quake. A few ingots toppled from the higher 
tiers, a single piece of the rocky ceiling splin- 
tered off and crashed downward to the floor, 
and the walls cracked, though they did not 
collapse. 


43 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


There was but the single shock, no other fol- 
lowed to complete the damage undertaken by 
the first. Werper, thrown to his length by the 
suddenness and violence of the disturbance, 
staggered to his feet when he found himself 
unhurt. Groping his way toward the far end 
of the chamber, he sought the candle which Tar- 
zan had left stuck in its own wax upon the pro- 
truding end of an ingot. 

By striking numerous matches the Belgian at 
last found what he sought, and when, a moment 
later, the sickly rays relieved the Stygian dark- 
ness about him, he breathed a nervous sigh of 
relief, for the impenetrable gloom had accentu- 
ated the terrors of his situation. 

As they became accustomed to the light the 
man turned his eyes toward the door — his one 
thought now was of escape from this fright- 
ful tomb — and as he did so he saw the body 
of the naked giant lying stretched upon the 
floor just within the doorway. Werper drew 
back in sudden fear of detection ; but a second 
glance convinced him that the Englishman was 
dead. From a great gash in the man’s head a 
pool of blood had collected upon the concrete 
floor. 


44 


THE ALTAR OF THE FLAMING GOD 


Quickly, the Belgian leaped over the pros- 
trate form of his erstwhile host, and without a 
thought of succor for the man in whom, for 
aught he knew, life still remained, he bolted 
for the passageway and safety. 

But his renewed hopes were soon dashed. 
J ust beyond the doorway he found the passage 
completely clogged and choked by impenetra- 
ble masses of shattered rock. Once more he 
turned and re-entered the treasure vault. Tak- 
ing the candle from its place he commenced 
a systematic search of the apartment, nor had 
he gone far before he discovered another door 
in the opposite end of the room, a door which 
gave upon creaking hinges to the weight of 
his body. Beyond the door lay another narrow 
passageway. Along this Werper made his way, 
ascending a flight of stone steps to another 
corridor twenty feet above the level of the 
first. The flickering candle lighted the way be- 
fore him, and a moment later he was thankful 
for the possession of this crude and antiquated 
luminant, which, a few hours before he might 
have looked upon with contempt, for it showed 
him, just in time, a yawning pit, apparently 
terminating the tunnel he was traversing. 

45 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OP OPAR 


Before him was a circular shaft. He held 
the candle above it and peered downward. Be- 
low him, at a great distance, he saw the light 
reflected back from the surface of a pool of 
water. He had come upon a well. He raised 
the candle above his head and peered across 
the black void, and there upon the opposite side 
he saw the continuation of the tunnel ; but how 
was he to span the gulf ? 

As he stood there measuring the distance to 
the opposite side and wondering if he dared 
venture so great a leap, there broke suddenly 
upon his startled ears a piercing scream which 
diminished gradually until it ended in a series 
of dismal moans. The voice seemed partly hu- 
man, yet so hideous that it might well have em- 
anated from the tortured throat of a lost soul, 
writhing in the fires of helL 

The Belgian shuddered and looked fearfully 
upward, for the scream had seemed to come 
from above him. As he looked he saw an open- 
ing far overhead, and a patch of sky pinked 
with brilliant stars. 

His half -formed intention to call for help was 
expunged by the terrifying cry — where such 
a voice lived, no human creatures could dwell. 

46 


THE ALTAR OF THE FLAMING GOD 


He dared not reveal himself to whatever in- 
habitants dwelt in the place above him. He 
cursed himself for a fool that he had ever em- 
barked upon such a mission. He wished him- 
self safely back in the camp of Achmet Zek, 
and would almost have embraced an opportu- 
nity to give himself up to the military authori- 
ties of the Congo if by so doing he might be 
rescued from the frightful predicament in which 
he now was. 

He listened fearfully, but the cry was not 
repeated, and at last spurred to desperate 
means, he gathered himself for the leap across 
the chasm. Going back twenty paces, he took 
a running start, and at the edge of the well, 
leaped upward and outward in an attempt to 
gain the opposite side. 

In his hand he clutched the sputtering can- 
dle, and as he took the leap the rush of air ex- 
tinguished it. In utter darkness he flew through 
space, clutching outward for a hold should his 
feet miss the invisible ledge. 

He struck the edge of the floor of the oppo- 
site terminus of the rocky tunnel with his 
knees, slipped backward, clutched desperately 
for a moment, and at last hung half within and 
47 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


half without the opening ; but he was safe. For 
several minutes he dared not move ; but clung, 
weak and sweating, where he lay. At last, cau- 
tiously, he drew himself well within the tun- 
nel, and again he lay at full length upon the 
floor, fighting to regain control of his shattered 
nerves. 

When his knees struck the edge of the tun- 
nel he had dropped the candle. Presently, hop- 
ing against hope that it had fallen upon the 
floor of the passageway, rather than back into 
the depths of the well, he rose upon all fours 
and commenced a diligent search for the little 
tallow cylinder, which how seemed infinitely 
more precious to him than all the fabulous 
wealth of the hoarded ingots of Opar. 

And when, at last, he found it, he clasped 
it to him and sank back sobbing and exhausted. 
For many minutes he lay trembling and bro- 
ken; but finally he drew himself to a sitting 
posture, and taking a match from his pocket, 
lighted the stump of the candle which re- 
mained to him. With the light he found it 
easier to regain control of his nerves, and pres- 
ently he was again making his way along the 
tunnel in search of an avenue of escape. The 
48 


THE ALTAR OF THE FLAMING GOD 


horrid cry that had come down to him from 
above through the ancient well-shaft still haunt- 
ed him, so that he trembled in terror at even 
the sounds of his own cautious advance. 

He had gone forward but a short distance, 
when, to his chagrin, a wall of masonry barred 
his farther progress, closing the tunnel com- 
pletely from top to bottom and from side to 
side. What could it mean? Werper was an 
educated and intelligent man. His military 
training had taught him to use his mind for the 
purpose for which it was intended. A blind 
tunnel such as this was senseless. It must con- 
tinue beyond the wall. Someone, at some time 
in the past, had had it blocked for an unknown 
purpose of his own. The man fell to examin- 
ing the masonry by the light of his candle. To 
his delight he discovered that the thin blocks 
of hewn stone of which it was constructed were 
fitted in loosely without mortar or cement. He 
tugged upon one of them, and to his joy found 
that it was easily removable. One after an- 
other he pulled out the blocks until he had 
opened an aperture large enough to admit his 
body, then he crawled through into a large, low 
chamber. Across this another door barred his 
49 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


way; but this, too, gave before his efforts, for 
it was not barred. A long, dark corridor 
showed before him, but before he had followed 
it far, his candle burned down until it scorched 
his fingers. With an oath he dropped it to the 
floor, where it sputtered for a moment and went 
out. 

Now he was in total darkness, and again ter- 
ror rode heavily astride his neck. What fur- 
ther pitfalls and dangers lay ahead he could 
not guess ; but that he was as far as ever from 
liberty he was quite willing to believe, so de- 
pressing is utter absence of light to one in un- 
familiar surroundings. 

Slowly he groped his way along, feeling with 
his hands upon the tunnel’s walls, and cau- 
tiously with his feet ahead of him upon the 
floor before he would take a single forward 
step. How long he crept on thus he could not 
guess; but at last, feeling that the tunnel’s 
length was interminable, and exhausted by his 
efforts, by terror, and loss of sleep, he deter- 
mined to lie down and rest before proceeding 
farther. 

When he awoke there was no change in the 
surrounding blackness. He might have slept 
50 


THE ALTAR OF THE FLAMING GOD 


a second or a day — he could not know; but 
that he had slept for some time was attested 
by the fact that he felt refreshed and hungry. 

Again he commenced his groping advance; 
but this time he had gone but a short distance 
when he emerged into a room, which was 
lighted through an opening in the ceiling, from 
which a flight of concrete steps led downward 
to the floor of the chamber. 

Above him, through the aperture, Werper 
could see sunlight glancing from massive col- 
umns, which were twined about by clinging 
vines. He listened ; but he heard no sound other 
than the soughing of the wind through leafy 
branches, the hoarse cries of birds, and the 
chattering of monkeys. 

Boldly he ascended the stairway, to find him- 
self in a circular court. Just before him stood 
a stone altar, stained with rusty-brown discol- 
orations. At the time Werper gave no thought 
to an explanation of these stains — later their 
origin became all too hideously apparent to 
him. 

Besides the opening in the floor, just behind 
the altar, through which he had entered the 
court from the subterranean chamber below, 
51 


TAEZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAE 


the Belgian discovered several doors leading 
from the enclosure upon the level of the floor. 
Above, and circling the courtyard, was a se- 
ries of open balconies. Monkeys scampered 
about the deserted ruins, and gaily plumaged 
birds flitted in and out among the columns and 
the galleries far above; but no sign of human 
presence was discernible. Werper felt re- 
lieved. He sighed, as though a great weight 
had been lifted from his shoulders. He took a 
step toward one of the exits, and then he halted, 
wide-eyed in astonishment and terror, for al- 
most at the same instant a dozen doors opened 
in the courtyard wall and a horde of fright- 
ful men rushed in upon him. 

They were the priests of the Flaming God 
of Opar — the same, shaggy, knotted, hideous 
little men who had dragged Jane Clayton to the 
sacrificial altar at this very spot years before. 
Their long arms, their short and crooked legs, 
their close-set, evil eyes, and their low, reced- 
ing foreheads gave them a bestial appearance 
that sent a qualm of paralyzing fright through 
the shaken nerves of the Belgian. 

With a scream he turned to flee back into 
the lesser terrors of the gloomy corridors and 
52 


THE ALTAR OF THE FLAMING GOD 


apartments from which he had just emerged, 
but the frightful men anticipated his inten- 
tions. They blocked the way; they seized him, 
and though he fell, groveling upon his knees 
before them, begging for his life, they bound 
him and hurled him to the floor of the inner 
temple. 

The rest was but a repetition of what Tar- 
zan and Jane Clayton had passed through. 
The priestesses came, and with them La, the 
High Priestess. Werper was raised and laid 
across the altar. Cold sweat exuded from his 
every pore as La raised the cruel, sacrificial 
knife above him. The death chant fell upon his 
tortured ears. His staring eyes wandered -to 
the golden goblets from which the hideous vo- 
taries would soon quench their inhuman thirst 
in his own, warm life-blood. 

He wished that he might be granted the brief 
respite of unconsciousness before the final 
plunge of the keen blade — and then there was 
a frightful roar that sounded almost in his 
ears. The High Priestess lowered her dag- 
ger. Her eyes went wide in horror. The priest- 
esses, her votaresses, screamed and fled madly 
toward the exits. The priests roared out their 
53 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


rage and terror according to the temper of their 
courage. Werper strained his neck about to 
catch a sight of the cause of their panic, and 
when, at last he saw it, he too went cold in 
dread, for what his eyes beheld was the figure 
of a huge lion standing in the center of the 
temple, and already a single victim lay man* 
gled beneath his cruel paws. 

Again the lord of the wilderness roared, turn- 
ing his baleful gaze upon the altar. La stag- 
gered forward, reeled, and fell across Werper 
in a swoon. 


CHAPTER VI 


THE ARAB RAID 


FTER their first terror had subsided sub- 



1 sequent to the shock of the earthquake, Ba- 
suli and his warriors hastened back into the 
passageway in search of Tarzan and two of 
their own number who were also missing. 

They found the way blocked by jammed and 
distorted rock. For two days they labored to 
tear a way through to their imprisoned friends; 
but when, after Herculean efforts, they had un- 
earthed but a few yards of the choked passage, 
and discovered the mangled remains of one of 
their fellows they were forced to the conclusion 
that Tarzan and the second Waziri also lay dead 
beneath the rock mass farther in, beyond human 
aid, and no longer susceptible of it. 

Again and again as they labored they called 
aloud the names of their master and their com- 
rade; but no answering call rewarded their 
listening ears. At last they gave up the search. 
Tearfully they cast a last look at the shattered 


55 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


tomb of their master, shouldered the heavy 
burden of .gold that would at least furnish com- 
fort, if not happiness, to their bereaved and 
beloved mistress, and made their mournful 
way back across the desolate valley of Opar, 
and downward through the forests beyond to- 
ward the distant bungalow. 

And as they marched what sorry fate was 
already drawing down upon that peaceful, 
happy home! 

From the north came Achmet Zek, riding 
to the summons of his lieutenant’s letter. With 
him came his horde of renegade Arabs, out- 
lawed marauders, these, and equally degraded 
blacks, garnered from the more debased and 
ignorant tribes of savage cannibals through 
whose countries the raider passed to and fro 
with perfect impunity. 

Mugambi, the ebon Hercules, who had shared 
the dangers and vicissitudes of his beloved 
Bwana, from Jungle Island, almost to the head- 
waters of the Ugambi, was the first to note the 
bold approach of the sinister caravan. 

He it was whom Tarzan had left in charge 
of the warriors who remained to guard Lady 
Greystoke, nor could a braver or more loyal 
56 


THE ARAB RAID 


guardian have been found in any clime or upon 
any soil. A giant in stature, a savage, fear- 
less warrior, the huge black possessed also soul 
and judgment in proportion to his bulk and his 
ferocity. 

Not once since his master had departed had 
he been beyond sight or sound of the bungalow, 
except when Lady Greystoke chose to canter 
across the broad plain, or relieve the monot- 
ony of her loneliness by a brief hunting ex- 
cursion. On such occasions Mugambi, mounted 
upon a wiry Arab, had ridden close at her 
horse’s heels. 

The raiders were still a long way off when 
the warrior’s keen eyes discovered them. For 
a time he stood scrutinizing the advancing 
party in silence, then he turned and ran rap- 
idly in the direction of the native huts which 
lay a few hundred yards below the bungalow. 

Here he called out to the lolling warriors. 
He issued orders rapidly. In compliance with 
them the men seized upon their weapons and 
their shields. Some ran to call in the workers 
from the fields and to warn the tenders of the 
flocks and herds. The majority followed Mu- 
gambi back toward the bungalow. 

57 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


The dust of the raiders was still a long dis- 
tance away. Mugambi could not know posi- 
tively that it hid an enemy ; hut he had spent a 
lifetime of savage life in savage Africa, and 
he had seen parties before come thus unher- 
alded. Sometimes they had come in peace and 
sometimes they had come in war — one could 
never tell. It was well to be prepared. Mu- 
gambi did not like the haste with which the 
strangers advanced. 

The Greystoke bungalow was not well 
adapted for defense. No palisade surrounded 
it, for, situated as it was, in the heart of loyal 
Waziri, its master had anticipated no possi- 
bility of an attack in force by any enemy. 
Heavy, wooden shutters there were to close 
the window apertures against hostile arrows, 
and these Mugambi was engaged in lowering 
when Lady Greystoke appeared upon the ve- 
randa. 

“ Why, Mugambi! ” she exclaimed. “ What 
has happened? Why are you lowering the 
shutters? ” 

Mugambi pointed out across the plain to 
where a white-robed force of mounted men 
was now distinctly visible. 

58 


THE ARAB RAID 


“ Arabs,” he explained. “ They come for no 
good purpose in the absence of the Great 
Bwana . 9 9 

Beyond the neat lawn and the flowering 
shrubs, Jane Clayton saw the glistening bod- 
ies of her Waziri. The sun glanced from the 
tips of their metal-shod spears, picked out the 
gorgeous colors in the feathers of their war 
bonnets, and reflected the high-lights from the 
glossy skins of their broad shoulders and high 
cheek bones. 

Jane Clayton surveyed them with unmixed 
feelings of pride and affection. What harm 
could befall her with such as these to protect 
her? 

The raiders had halted now, a hundred yards 
out upon the plain. Mugambi had hastened 
down to join his warriors. He advanced a few 
yards before them and raising his voice hailed 
the strangers. Achmet Zek sat straight in his 
saddle before his henchmen. 

“ Arab! 99 cried Mugambi. “ What do you 
here ? 99 

“We come in peace,” Achmet Zek called 
back. 

“ Then turn and go in peace,” replied Mu- 
59 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


gambi. “We do not want you here. There 
can be no peace between Arab and Waziri.” 

Mugambi, although not born a Waziri, had 
been adopted into the tribe, which now con- 
tained no member more jealous of its traditions 
and its prowess than he. 

Achmet Zek drew to one side of his horde, 
speaking to his men in a low voice. A mo- 
ment later, without warning, a ragged volley 
was poured into the ranks of the Waziri , A 
couple of the warriors fell, the others were for 
charging the attackers; but Mugambi was a 
cautious as well as a brave leader. He knew 
the futility of charging mounted men armed 
with muskets. He withdrew his force behind 
the shrubbery of the garden. Some he dis- 
patched to various other parts of the grounds 
surrounding the bungalow. Half a dozen he 
sent to the bungalow itself with instructions 
to keep their mistress within doors, and to 
protect her with their lives. 

Adopting the tactics of the desert fighters 
from which he had sprung, Achmet Zek led 
his followers at a gallop in a long, thin line, 
describing a great circle which drew closer 
and closer in toward the defenders. 

60 


THE ARAB RAID 


At that part of the circle closest to the Wa- 
ziri, a constant fusillade of shots was poured 
into the bushes behind which the black war- 
riors had concealed themselves. The latter, 
on their part, loosed their slim shafts at the 
nearest of the enemy. 

The Waziri, justly famed for their archery, 
found no cause to blush for their performance 
that day. Time and again some swarthy horse- 
man threw hands above his head and toppled 
from his saddle, pierced by a deadly arrow; 
but the contest was uneven. .The Arabs out- 
numbered the Waziri; their bullets penetrated 
the shrubbery and found marks that the Arab 
riflemen had not even seen; and then Achmet 
Zek circled inward a half mile above the bun- 
galow, tore down a section of the fence, and 
led his marauders within the grounds. 

Across the fields they charged at a mad run. 
Not again did they pause to lower fences, in- 
stead, they drove their wild mounts^ straight 
for them, clearing the obstacles as lightly as 
winged gulls. 

Mugambi saw them coming, and, calling those 
of his warriors who remained, ran for the bun- 
galow and the last stand. Upon the veranda 
61 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


Lady Greystoke stood, rifle in hand. More 
than a single raider had accounted to her steady 
nerves and cool aim for his outlawry; more 
than a single pony raced, riderless, in the wake 
of the charging horde. 

Mugambi pushed his mistress hack into the 
greater security of the interior, and with his 
depleted force prepared to make a last stand 
against the foe. 

On came the Arabs, shouting and waving 
their long guns above their heads. Past the 
veranda they raced, pouring a deadly fire into 
the kneeling Waziri who discharged their volley 
of arrows from behind their long, oval shields 
— shields well adapted, perhaps, to stop a hos- 
tile arrow, or deflect a spear; but futile, quite, 
before the leaden missiles of the riflemen. 

From beneath the half -raised shutters of the 
bungalow other bowmen did effective service 
in greater security, and after the first assault, 
Mugambi withdrew his entire force within the 
building. 

Again and again the Arabs charged, at last 
forming a stationary circle about the little 
fortress, and outside the effective range of the 
defenders ’ arrows. From their new position 
62 


THE ARAB RAID 


they fired at will at the windows. One by one 
the Waziri fell. Fewer and fewer were the ar- 
rows that replied to the guns of the raiders, 
and at last Achmet Zek felt safe in ordering 
an assault. 

Firing as they ran, the bloodthirsty horde 
raced for the veranda. A dozen of them fell 
to the arrows of the defenders; but the ma- 
jority reached the door. Heavy gun butts fell 
upon it. The crash of splintered wood mingled 
with the report of a rifle as Jane Clayton fired 
through the panels upon the relentless foe. 

Upon both sides of the door men fell; but 
at last the frail barrier gave to the vicious as- 
saults of the maddened attackers; it crumpled 
inward and a dozen swarthy murderers leaped 
into the living-room. At the far end stood Jane 
Clayton surrounded by the remnant of her de- 
voted guardians. The floor was covered by 
the bodies of those who already had given up 
their lives in her defense. In the forefront of 
her protectors stood the giant Mugambi. The 
Arabs raised their rifles to pour in the last 
volley that would effectually end all resistance ; 
but Achmet Zek roared out a warning order 
that stayed their trigger fingers. 

63 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


6 i Fire not upon the woman !” he cried. 
“Who harms her, dies. Take the woman 
alive! ” 

The Arabs rushed across the room; the Wa- 
ziri met them with their heavy spears. Swords 
flashed, long-barreled pistols roared out their 
sullen death dooms. Mugambi launched his 
spear at the nearest of the enemy with a force 
that drove the heavy shaft completely through 
the Arab’s body, then he seized a pistol from 
another, and grasping it by the barrel brained 
all who forced their way too near his mistress. 

Emulating his example the few warriors who 
remained to him fought like demons ; but one by 
one they fell, until only Mugambi remained to 
defend the life and honor of the ape-man’s 
mate. 

From across the room Achmet Zek watched 
the unequal struggle and urged on his minions. 
In his hands was a jeweled musket. Slowly he 
raised it to his shoulder, waiting until another 
move should place Mugambi at his mercy with- 
out endangering the lives of the woman or any 
of his own followers. 

At last the moment came, and Achmet Zek 
pulled the trigger. Without a sound the brave 
64 


THE ARAB RAID 


Mugambi sank to the floor at the feet of Ja^e 
Clayton. 

An instant later she was surrounded and dis- 
armed. Without a word they dragged her from 
the bungalow. A giant negro lifted her to the 
pommel of his saddle, and while the raiders 
searched the bungalow and outhouses for plun- 
der he rode with her beyond the gates and 
waited the coming of his master. 

Jane Clayton saw the raiders lead the horses 
from the corral, and drive the herds in from 
the fields. She saw her home plundered of all 
that represented intrinsic worth in the eyes 
of the Arabs, and then she saw the torch ap- 
plied, and the flames lick up what remained. 

And at last, when the raiders assembled after 
glutting their fury and their avarice, and rode 
away with her toward the north, she saw the 
smoke and the flames rising far into the heavens 
until the winding of the trail into the thick for- 
ests hid the sad view from her eyes. 

As the flames ate their way into the living- 
room, reaching out forked tongues to lick up 
the bodies of the dead, one of that gruesome 
company whose bloody welterings had long 
since been stilled, moved again. It was a huge 
65 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


black who rolled over upon his side and opened 
blood-shot, suffering eyes. Mugambi, whom the 
Arabs had left for dead, still lived. The hot 
flames were almost upon him as he raised him- 
self painfully upon his hands and knees and 
crawled slowly toward the doorway. 

Again and again he sank weakly to the floor; 
but each time he rose again and continued his 
pitiful way toward safety. After what seemed 
to him an interminable time, during which the 
flames had become a veritable fiery furnace at 
the far side of the room, the great black man- 
aged to reach the veranda, roll down the steps, 
and crawl off into the cool safety of some near- 
by shrubbery. 

All night he lay there, alternately uncon- 
scious and painfully sentient ; and in the latter 
state watching with savage hatred the lurid 
flames which still rose from burning crib and 
hay cock. A prowling lion roared close at 
hand ; but the giant black was unafraid. There 
was place for but a single thought in his savage 
mind — ■ revenge! revenge! revenge! 


66 


CHAPTER VII 

THE JEWEL-ROOM OF OPAR 

F OP some time Tarzan lay where he had 
fallen upon the floor of the treasure cham- 
ber beneath the ruined walls of Opar. He lay 
as one dead; but he was not dead. At length 
he stirred. His eyes opened upon the utter 
darkness of the room. He raised his hand to 
his head and brought it away sticky with clot- 
ted blood. He sniffed at his fingers, as a wild 
beast might sniff at the life-blood upon a 
wounded paw. 

Slowly he rose to a sitting posture — listen- 
ing. No sound reached to the buried depths of 
his sepulcher. He staggered to his feet, and 
groped his way about among the tiers of ingots. 
What was he? Where was he? His head 
ached; but otherwise he felt no ill effects from 
the blow that had felled him. The accident he 
did not recall, nor did he recall aught of what 
had led up to it. 

He let his hands grope unfamiliarly over his 
67 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


limbs, Ms torso, and Ms head. He felt of the 
quiver at his back, the knife in his loin cloth. 
SometMng struggled for recognition within his 
brain. Ah! he had it. There was something 
missing. He crawled about upon the floor, feel- 
ing with Ms hands for the thing that instinct 
warned him was gone. At last he found it — • 
the heavy war spear that in past years had 
formed so important a feature of his daily life, 
almost of Ms very existence, so inseparably 
had it been conhected with his every action since 
the long-gone day that he had wrested his first 
spear from the body of a black victim of Ms 
savage training. 

Tarzan was sure that there was another and 
more lovely world than that which was confined 
to the darkness of the four stone walls sur- 
rounding him. He continued his search and at 
last found the doorway leading inward beneath 
the city and the temple. This he followed, most 
incautiously. He came to the stone steps lead- 
ing upward to the Mgher level. He ascended 
them and continued onward toward the well. 

Nothing spurred his hurt memory to a recol- 
lection of past familiarity with Ms surround- 
ingSc He blundered on through the darkness 
68 


THE JEWEL-ROOM OF OPAR 


as though he were tranversing an open plain 
under the brilliance of a noonday sun, and 
suddenly there happened that which had to 
happen under the circumstances of his rash 
advance. 

He reached the brink of the well, stepped out- 
ward into space, lunged forward, and shot 
downward into the inky depths below. Still 
clutching his spear, he struck the water, and 
sank beneath its surface, plumming the depths. 

The fall had not injured him, and when he 
rose to the surface, he shook the water from 
his eyes, and found that he could see. Daylight 
was filtering into the well from the orifice far 
above his head. It illumined the inner walls 
faintly. Tarzan gazed about him. On the level 
with the surface of the water he saw a large 
opening in the dank and slimy wall. He swam 
to it, and drew himself out upon the wet floor 
of a tunnel. 

Along this he passed; but now he went war- 
ily, for Tarzan of the Apes was learning. The 
unexpected pit had taught him care in the trav- 
ersing of dark passageways — he needed no 
second lesson. 

For a long distance the passage went straight 
69 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


as an arrow. The floor was slippery, as though 
at times the rising waters of the well over- 
flowed and flooded it. This, in itself, retarded 
Tarzan ’s pace, for it was with difficulty that 
he kept his footing. 

The foot of a stairway ended the passage. 
Up this he made his way. It turned back and 
forth many times, leading, at last, into a small, 
circular chamber, the gloom of which was re- 
lieved by a faint light which found ingress 
through a tubular shaft several feet in diameter 
which rose from the center of the room’s ceil- 
ing, upward to a distance of a hundred feet or 
more, where it terminated in a stone grating 
through which Tarzan could see a blue and sun- 
lit sky. 

Curiosity prompted the ape-man to investi- 
gate his surroundings. Several metal-bound, 
copper-studded chests constituted the sole fur- 
niture of the round room. Tarzan let his hands 
run over these. He felt of the copper studs, he 
pulled upon the hinges, and at last, by chance, 
he raised the cover of one. 

An exclamation of delight broke from his lips 
at sight of the pretty contents. Gleaming 
and glistening in the subdued light of the cham- 
70 


THE JEWEL-ROOM OF OPAR 


ber, lay a great tray full of brilliant stones. 
Tarzan, reverted to the primitive by bis acci- 
dent, bad no conception of tbe fabulous value 
of bis find. To bim they were but pretty peb- 
bles. He plunged bis bands into them and let 
tbe priceless gems filter tbrougb bis fingers. 
He went to others of tbe cbests, only to find still 
further stores of precious stones. Nearly all 
were cut, and from these he gathered a hand- 
ful and filled tbe pouch which dangled at bis 
side — tbe uncut stones be tossed back into tbe 
cbests. 

Unwittingly, tbe ape-man bad stumbled upon 
tbe forgotten jewel-room of Opar. For ages 
it bad lain buried beneath tbe temple of tbe 
Flaming God, midway of one of tbe many inky 
passages which tbe superstitious descendants 
of tbe ancient Sun^ Worshipers bad either dared 
not or cared not to explore. 

Tiring at last of this diversion, Tarzan took 
up bis way along tbe corridor which led upward 
from tbe jewel-room by a steep incline. Wind- 
ing and twisting, but always tending upward, 
tbe tunnel led bim nearer and nearer to tbe sur- 
face, ending finally in a low-ceiled room, lighter 
than any that be bad as yet discovered. 

71 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


Above him an opening in the ceiling at the 
upper end of a flight of concrete steps revealed 
a brilliant sunlit scene. Tarzan viewed the 
vine-covered columns in mild wonderment. He 
puckered his brows in an attempt to recall 
some recollection of similar things. He was 
not sure of himself. There was a tantalizing 
suggestion always present in his mind that 
something was eluding him — that he should 
know many things which he did not know. 

His earnest cogitation was rudely interrupted 
by a thunderous roar from the opening above 
him. Following the ro$r came the cries and 
screams of men and women. Tarzan grasped 
his spear more firmly and ascended the steps. 
A strange sight met his eyes as he emerged 
from the semi-darkness of the cellar to the bril- 
liant light of the temple. 

The creatures he saw before him he recog- 
nized for what they were — men and women, 
and a huge lion. The men and women were 
scuttling for the safety of the exits. The lion 
stood upon the body of one who had been less 
fortunate than the others. He was in the cen- 
ter of the temple. Directly before Tarzan, a 
woman stood beside a block of stone. Upon 
72 


THE JEWEL-ROOM OP OPAR 


the top of the stone lay stretched a man, and 
as the ape-man watched the scene, he saw the 
lion glare terribly at the two who remained 
within the temple. Another thunderous roar 
broke from the savage throat, the woman 
screamed and swooned across the body of the 
man stretched prostrate upon the stone altar 
before her. 

The lion advanced a few steps and crouched. 
The tip of his sinuous tail twitched nervously. 
He was upon the point of charging when his 
eyes were attracted toward the ape-man. 

Werper, helpless upon the altar, saw the 
great carnivore preparing to leap upon him. 
He saw the sudden change in the beasts expres- 
sion as his eyes wandered to something beyond 
the altar and out of the Belgian’s view. He 
saw the formidable creature rise to a standing 
position. A figure darted past Werper. He 
saw a mighty arm upraised, and a stout spear 
shoot forward toward the lion, to bury itself 
in the broad chest. 

He saw the lion snapping and tearing at the 
weapon’s shaft, and he saw, wonder of won- 
ders, the naked giant who had hurled the missile 
charging upon the great beast, only a long 
73 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


knife ready to meet those ferocious fangs and 
talons. 

The lion reared up to meet this new enemy. 
The beast was growling frightfully, and then 
upon the startled ears of the Belgian, broke 
a similar savage growl from the lips of the man 
rushing upon the beast. 

By a quick side step, Tarzan eluded the first 
swinging clutch of the lion’s paws. Darting to 
the beast’s side, he leaped upon the tawny 
back. His arms encircled the maned neck, his 
teeth sank deep into the brute’s flesh. Roaring, 
leaping, rolling and struggling, the giant cat 
attempted to dislodge this savage enemy, and 
all the while one great, brown fist was driving 
a long keen blade repeatedly into the beast’s 
side. 

During the battle, La regained consciousness. 
Spellbound, she stood above her victim watch- 
ing the spectacle. It seemed incredible that 
a human being could best the king of beasts 
in personal encounter and yet before her very 
eyes there was taking place just such an im- 
probability. 

At last Tarzan ’s knife found the great heart, 
and with a final, spasmodic struggle the lion 
74 


THE JEWEL-ROOM OF OPAR 


rolled over upon the marble floor, dead. Leap- 
ing to his feet the conqueror placed a foot upon 
the carcass of his kill, raised his face toward 
the heavens, and gave voice to so hideous a 
cry that both La and Werper trembled as it 
reverberated through the temple. 

Then the ape-man turned, and Werper recog- 
nized him as the man he had left for dead in the 
treasure room. 


76 


CHAPTER Vm 

THE ESCAPE FROM OPAR 

W EEPER was astounded. Could this 
creature be the same dignified English- 
man who had entertained him so graciously in 
his luxurious African home? Could this wild 
beast, with blazing eyes, and bloody counte- 
nance, be at the same time a man? Could the 
horrid, victory cry he had but just heard have 
been formed in human throat? 

Tarzan was eyeing the man and the woman, 
a puzzled expression in his eyes, but there was 
no faintest tinge of recognition. It was as 
though he had discovered some new species of 
living creature and was marveling at his find. 

La was studying the ape-man’s features. 
Slowly her large eyes opened very wide. 

“ Tarzan! ” she exclaimed, and then, in the 
vernacular of the great apes which constant 
association with the anthropoids had rendered 
the common language of the Oparians: “ You 
have come back to me! La has ignored the 
76 


THE ESCAPE FROM OPAR 


mandates of her religion, waiting, always wait- 
ing for Tarzan — for her Tarzan. She has 
taken no mate, for in all the world there was 
hut one with whom La would mate. And now 
you have come hack ! Tell me, 0 Tarzan, that 
it is for me you have returned.” 

Werper listened to the unintelligible jargon. 
He looked from La to Tarzan. Would the lat- 
ter understand this strange tongue? To the 
Belgian's surprise, the Englishman answered 
in a language evidently identical to hers. 

“Tarzan,” he repeated, musingly. “Tar- 
zan. The name sounds familiar . 9 9 

“It is your name — you are Tarzan,” cried 
La. 

“I am Tarzan?” The ape-man shrugged. 
“ Well, it is a good name — I know no other, so 
I will keep it ; but I do not know you. I did not 
come hither for you. Why I came, I do not 
know at all; neither do I know from whence I 
came. Can you tell me? ” 

La shook her head. “I never knew,” she 
replied. 

Tarzan turned toward Werper and put the 
same question to him; but in the language of 
the great apes. The Belgian shook his head. 

77 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


“I do not understand that language,” he 
said in French. 

Without effort, and apparently without real- 
izing that he made the change, Tarzan repeated 
his question in French. Werper suddenly came 
to a full realization of the magnitude of the 
injury of which Tarzan was a victim. The man 
had lost his memory — no longer could he rec- 
ollect past events. The Belgian was upon the 
point of enlightening him, when it suddenly oc- 
curred to him that by keeping Tarzan in ignor- 
ance, for a time at least, of his true identity, it 
might be possible to turn the ape-man’s mis- 
fortune to his own advantage. 

“ I cannot tell you from whence you came,” 
he said; “ but this I can tell you — if we do not 
get out of this horrible place we shall both be 
slain upon this bloody altar. The woman was 
about to plunge her knife into my heart when 
the lion interrupted the fiendish ritual. Come ! 
Before they recover from their fright and reas- 
semble, let us find a way out of their damnable 
temple.” 

Tarzan turned again toward La. 

“ Why,” he asked, 4 ‘would you have killed 
this man? Are you hungry? ” 

78 


THE ESCAPE FROM OPAR 


The High Priestess cried out in disgust. 

“Did he attempt to kill you? ” continued 
Tarzan. 

The woman shook her head. 

“ Then why should you have wished to kill 
him? ” Tarzan was determined to get to the 
bottom of the thing. 

La raised her slender arm and pointed 
toward the sun. 

“ We were offering up his soul as a gift to 
the Flaming God,” she said. 

Tarzan looked puzzled. He was again an 
ape, and apes do not understand such matters 
as souls and Flaming Gods. 

“ Do you wish to die? ” he asked Werper. 

The Belgian assured him, with tears in his 
eyes, that he did not wish to die. 

“ Very well then, you shall not,” said Tar- 
zan. “ Come! We will go. This she would 
kill you and keep me for herself. It is no place 
anyway for a Mangani. I should soon die, shut 
up behind these stone walls.” 

He turned toward La. “We are going now , 9 9 
be said. 

The woman rushed forward and seized the 
ape-man’s hands in hers. 

79 


I 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 

“ Do not leave me! ” she cried. “ Stay, and 
you shall be High Priest. La loves you. All 
Opar shall be yours. Slaves shall wait upon 
you. Stay, Tarzan of the Apes, and let love 
reward you. ’ ’ 

The ape-man pushed the kneeling woman 
aside. i ‘ Tarzan does not desire you,” he said, 
simply, and stepping to Werper ’s side he cut 
the Belgian’s bonds and motioned him to fol- 
low. 

Panting — her face convulsed with rage, La 
sprang to her feet. 

i i Stay, you shall ! ’ 9 she screamed. ‘ 1 La will 
have you — if she cannot have you alive, she 
will have you dead,” and raising her face to 
the sun she gave voice to the same hideous 
shriek that Werper had heard once before and 
Tarzan many times. 

In answer to her cry a babel of voices broke 
from the surrounding chambers and corridors. 

“ Come, Guardian Priests!” she cried. 
u The infidels have profaned the holiest of the 
holies. Come! Strike terror to their hearts; 
defend La and her altar ; wash clean the temple 
with the blood of the polluters.” 

Tarzan understood, though Werper did not. 

80 


THE ESCAPE FROM OPAR 


The former glanced at the Belgian and saw 
that he was unarmed. Stepping quickly to La’s 
side the ape-man seized her in his strong arms 
and though she fought with all the mad savage- 
ry of a demon, he soon disarmed her, hand- 
ing her long, sacrificial knife to Werper. 

“You will need this,” he said, and then from 
each doorway a horde of the monstrous, little 
men of Opar streamed into the temple. 

They were armed with bludgeons and knives, 
and fortified in their courage by fanatical hate 
and frenzy. Werper was terrified. Tarzan 
stood eyeing the foe in proud disdain. Slowly 
he advanced toward the exit he had chosen to 
utilize in making his way from the temple. A 
burly priest barred his way. Behind the first 
was a score of others. Tarzan swung his heavy 
spear, clublike, down upon the skull of the 
priest. The fellow collapsed, his head crushed. 

Again and again the weapon fell as Tarzan 
made his way slowly toward the doorway. 
Werper pressed close behind, casting backward 
glances toward the shrieking, dancing mob men- 
acing their rear. He held the sacrificial knife 
ready to strike whoever might come within its 
reach ; but none came. For a time he wondered 
81 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


that they should so bravely battle with the giant 
ape-man, yet hesitate to rush upon him, who 
was relatively so weak. Had they done so he 
knew that he must have fallen at the first 
charge. Tarzan had reached the doorway over 
the corpses of all that had stood to dispute 
his way, before Werper guessed at the reason 
for his immunity. The priests feared the sac- 
rificial knife ! Willingly would they face death 
and welcome it if it came while they defended 
their High Priestess and her altar ; but evident- 
ly there were deaths, and deaths. Some strange 
superstition must surround that polished 
blade, that no Oparian cared to chance a death 
thrust from it, yet gladly rushed to the slaugh- 
ter of the ape-man’s flaying spear. 

Once outside the temple court, Werper com- 
municated his discovery to Tarzan. The ape- 
man grinned, and let Werper go before him, 
brandishing the jeweled and holy weapon. Like 
leaves before a gale, the Oparians scattered in 
all directions and Tarzan and the Belgian found 
a clear passage through the corridors and 
chambers of the ancient temple. 

The Belgian’s eyes went wide as they passed 
through the room of the seven pillars of solid 
82 


THE ESCAPE FROM OPAR 


gold. With ill-conoealed avarice he looked upon 
the age-old, golden tablets set in the walls of 
nearly every room and down the sides of many 
of the corridors. To the ape-man all this wealth 
appeared to mean nothing. 

On the two went, chance leading them toward 
the broad avenue which lay between the stately 
piles of the half-ruined edifices and the inner 
wall of the city. Great apes jabbered at them 
and menaced them; but Tarzan answered them 
after their own kind, giving back taunt for 
taunt, insult for insult, challenge for challenge. 

Werper saw a hairy bull swing down from 
a broken column and advance, stiff -legged and 
bristling, toward the naked giant. The yellow 
fangs were bared, angry snarls and barkings 
rumbled threateningly through the thick and 
hanging lips. 

The Belgian watched his companion. To his 
horror, he saw the man stoop unti] his closed 
knuckles rested upon the ground as did those 
of the anthropoid. He saw him circle, stiff- 
legged about the circling ape. He heard the 
same bestial barkings and growlings issue from 
the human throat that were coming from the 
mouth of the brute. Had his eyes been closed 
83 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


he could not have known hut that two giant 
apes were bridling for combat. 

But there was no battle. It ended as the ma- 
jority of such jungle encounters end — one of 
the boasters loses his nerve, and becomes sud- 
denly interested in a blowing leaf, a beetle, or 
the lice upon his hairy stomach. 

In this instance it was the anthropoid that 
retired in stiff dignity to inspect an unhappy 
caterpillar, which he presently devoured. For 
a moment Tarzan seemed inclined to pursue the 
argument. He swaggered truculently, stuck out 
his chest, roared and advanced closer to the 
bull. It was with difficulty that Werper finally 
persuaded him to leave well enough alone and 
continue his way from the ancient city of the 
Sun Worshipers. 

The two searched for nearly an hour before 
they found the narrow exit through the inner 
wall. From there the well-worn trail led them 
beyond the outer fortification to the desolate 
valley of Opar. 

Tarzan had no idea, in so far as Werper 
could discover, as to where he was or whence 
he came. He wandered aimlessly about, search- 
ing for food, which he discovered beneath small 
84 


THE ESCAPE FROM OPAR 


rocks, or hiding in the shade of the scant brush 
which dotted the ground. 

The Belgian was horrified by the hideous 
menu of his companion. Beetles, rodents and 
caterpillars were devoured with seeming relish. 
Tarzan was indeed an ape again. 

At last Werper succeeded in leading his com- 
panion toward the distant hills which mark the 
northwestern boundary of the valley, and to- 
gether the two set out in the direction of the 
Greystoke bungalow. 

What purpose prompted the Belgian in lead- 
ing the victim of his treachery and greed back 
toward his former home it is difficult to guess, 
unless it was that without Tarzan there could 
be no ransom for Tarzan ’s wife. 

That night they camped in the valley beyond 
the hills, and as they sat before a little fire 
where cooked a wild pig that had fallen to one 
of Tarzan ’s arrows, the latter sat lost in specu- 
lation. He seemed continually to be trying to 
grasp some mental image which as constantly 
eluded him. 

At last he opened the leathern pouch which 
hung at his side. From it he poured into the 
palm of his hand a quantity of glittering gems. 

85 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


The firelight playing upon them conjured a 
multitude of scintillating rays, and as the wide 
eyes of the Belgian looked on in rapt fascina- 
tion, the man’s expression at last acknowledged 
a tangible purpose in courting the society of 
the ape-man. 


CHAPTER IX 

THE THEFT OF THE JEWELS 

F OR two days Werper sought for the party 
that had accompanied him from the camp 
to the harrier cliffs; hut not until late in the 
afternoon of the second day did he find clew 
to its whereabouts, and then in such gruesome 
form that he was totally unnerved by the sight. 

In an open glade he came upon the bodies 
of three of the blacks, terribly mutilated, nor 
did it require considerable deductive power to 
explain their murder. Of the little party only 
these three had not been slaves. The others, 
evidently tempted to hope for freedom from 
their cruel Arab master, had taken advantage 
of their separation from the main camp, to slay 
the three representatives of the hated power 
which held them in slavery, and vanish into the 
jungle. 

Cold §weat exuded from Werper ’s forehead 
as he contemplated the fate which chance had 
permitted him to escape, for had he been pres- 
87 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


ent when the conspiracy bore fruit, he, too, 
must have been of the garnered. 

Tarzan showed not the slightest surprise or 
interest in the discovery. Inherent in him was 
a calloused familiarity with violent death. The 
refinements of his recent civilization expunged 
by the force of the sad calamity which had be- 
fallen him, left only the primitive sensibilities 
which his childhood’s training had imprinted 
indelibly upon the fabric of his mind. 

The training of Kala, the examples and pre- 
cepts of Kerchak, of Tublat, and of Terkoz now 
formed the basis of his every thought and ac- 
tion. He retained a mechanical knowledge of 
French and English speech. Werper had .spo- 
ken to him in French, and Tarzan had replied 
in the same tongue without conscious realiza- 
tion that he had departed from the anthropoi- 
dal speech in which he had addressed La. Had 
Werper used English, the result would have 
been the same. 

Again, that night, as the two sat before their 
camp fire, Tarzan played with his shining bau- 
bles. Werper asked him what they were and 
where he had found them. The ape-man re- 
plied that they were gay-colored stones, with 
88 


THE THEFT OF THE JEWELS 


which he purposed fashioning a necklace, and 
that he had found them far beneath the sacri- 
ficial court of the temple of the Flaming God. 

Werper was relieved to find that Tarzan had 
no conception of the value of the gems. This 
would make it easier for the Belgian to obtain 
possession of them. Possibly the man would 
give them to< him for the asking. Werper 
reached out his hand toward the little pile that 
Tarzan had arranged upon a piece of flat wood 
before him. 

“ Let me see them,” said the Belgian. 

Tarzan placed a large palm over his treas- 
ure. He bared his fighting fangs, and growled. 
Werper withdrew his hand more quickly than 
he had advanced it. Tarzan resumed his play- 
ing with the gems, and his conversation with 
Werper as though nothing unusual had oc- 
curred. He had but exhibited the beast's jeal- 
ous protective instinct for a possession. When 
he killed he shared the meat with Werper; but 
had Werper ever, by accident, laid a hand upon 
Tarzan ? s share, he 'would have aroused the 
same savage, and resentful warning. 

From that occurrence dated the beginning 
of a great fear in the breast of the Belgian for 
89 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


his savage companion. He had never under- 
stood the transformation that had been wrought 
in Tarzan by the blow upon his head, other than 
to attribute it to a form of amnesia. That Tar- 
zan had once been, in truth, a savage, jungle 
beast, Werper had not known, and so, of course, 
he could not guess that the man had reverted 
to the state in which his childhood and young 
manhood had been spent. 

Now Werper saw in the Englishman a dan- 
gerous maniac, whom the slightest untoward 
accident might turn upon him with rending 
fangs. Not for a moment did Werper attempt 
to delude himself into the belief that he could 
defend himself successfully against an attack 
by the ape-man. His one hope lay in eluding 
him, and making for the far distant camp of 
Achmet Zek as rapidly as he could ; but armed 
only with the sacrificial knife, Werper shrank 
from attempting the journey through the jun- 
gle. Tarzan constituted a protection that was 
by no means despicable, even in the face of the 
larger carnivora, as Werper had reason to ac- 
knowledge from the evidence he had witnessed 
in the Oparian temple. 

Too, Werper had his covetous soul set upon 
90 


THE THEFT OF THE JEWELS 


the pouch of gems, and so he was tom between 
the various emotions of avarice and fear. But 
avarice it was that burned most strongly in 
his breast, to the end that he dared the dan- 
gers and suffered the terrors of constant as- 
sociation with him he thought a mad man, 
rather than give up the hope of obtaining pos- 
session of the fortune which the contents of 
the little pouch represented. 

Achmet Zek should know nothing of these — 
these would be for Werper alone, and so soon 
as he could encompass his design he would 
reach the coast and take passage for Amer- 
ica, where he could conceal himself beneath 
the veil of a new identity and enjoy to some 
measure the fruits of his theft. He had it all 
planned out, did Lieutenant Albert Werper, 
living in anticipation the luxurious life of the 
idle rich. He even found himself regretting 
that America was so provincial, and that no- 
where in the new world was a city that might 
compare with his beloved Brussels. 

It was upon the third day of their progress 
from Opar that the keen ears of Tarzan caught 
the sound of men behind them. Werper heard 
nothing above the humming of the jungle in- 
91 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


sects, and the chattering life of the lesser mon- 
keys and the birds. 

For a time Tarzan stood in statuesque si- 
lence, listening, his sensitive nostrils dilating 
as he assayed each passing breeze. Then he 
withdrew Werper into the concealment of thick 
brush, and waited. Presently, along the game 
trail that Werper and Tarzan had been follow- 
ing, there came in sight a sleek, black warrior, 
alert and watchful. 

In single file behind him, there followed, 
one after another, near fifty others, each bur- 
dened with two dull-yellow ingots lashed upon 
his back. Werper recognized the party imme- 
diately as that which had accompanied Tarzan 
on his journey to Opar. He glanced at the 
ape-man; but in the savage, watchful eyes he 
saw no recognition of Basuli and those other 
loyal Waziri. 

When all had passed, Tarzan rose and 
emerged from concealment. He looked down 
the trail in the direction the party had gone. 
Then he turned to Werper. 

“ We will follow and slay them,” he said. 

“ Why? ” asked the Belgian. 

4 ‘ They are black,” explained Tarzan. “It 
92 


THE THEFT OF THE JEWELS 


was a black who killed Kala. They are the en- 
emies of the Manganis.” 

Werper did not relish the idea of engaging in 
a battle with Basuli and his fierce fighting men. 
And, again, he had welcomed the sight of them 
returning toward the Greystoke bungalow, for 
he had begun to have doubts as to his ability 
to retrace his steps to the Waziri country. 
Tarzan, he knew, had not the remotest idea of 
whither they were going. By keeping at a safe 
distance behind the laden warriors, they would 
have no difficulty in following them home. Once 
at the bungalow, Werper knew the way to the 
camp of Achmet Zek. There was still another 
reason why he did not wish to interfere with 
the Waziri — they were bearing the great bur- 
den of treasure in the direction he wished it 
borne. The farther they took it, the less the 
distance that he and Achmet Zek would have to 
transport it. 

He argued with the ape-man, therefore, 
against the latter’s desire to exterminate the 
blacks, and at last he prevailed upon Tarzan 
to follow them in peace, saying that he was sure 
they would lead them out of the forest into a 
rich country, teeming with game. 

93 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


It was many marches from Opar to the Waziri 
country; but at last came the hour when Tarzan 
and the Belgian, following the trail of the war- 
riors, topped the last rise, and saw before them 
the broad Waziri plain, the winding river, and 
the distant forests to the north and west. 

A mile or more ahead of them, the line of 
warriors was creeping like a giant caterpil- 
lar through the tall grasses of the plain. Be- 
yond, grazing herds of zebra, hartebeest, and 
topi dotted the level landscape, while closer to 
the river a bull buffalo, his head and shoulders 
protruding from the reeds watched the advanc- 
ing blacks for a moment, only to turn at last 
and disappear into the safety of his dank and 
gloomy retreat. 

Tarzan looked out across the familiar vista 
with no faintest gleam of recognition in his 
eyes. He saw the game animals, and his mouth 
watered; but he did not look in the direction 
of his bungalow. Werper, however, did. A 
puzzled expression entered the Belgian’s eyes. 
He shaded them with his palms and gazed long 
and earnestly toward the spot where the bun- 
galow had stood. He could not credit the tes- 
timony of his eyes — there was no bungalow — 
94 


THE THEFT OF THE JEWELS 


no barns — no outhouses. The corrals, the hay 
stacks — all were gone. What could it mean? 

And then, slowly there filtered into Werper’s 
consciousness an explanation of the havoc that 
had been wrought in that peaceful valley since 
last his eyes had rested upon it — Achmet Zek 
had been there ! 

Basuli and his warriors had noted the devas- 
tation the moment they had come in sight of 
the farm. Now they hastened on toward it talk- 
ing excitedly among themselves in animated 
speculation upon the cause and meaning of the 
catastrophe. 

When, at last they crossed the trampled 
garden and stood before the charred ruins of 
their master’s bungalow, their greatest fears 
became convictions in the light of the evidence 
about them. 

Remnants of human dead, half devoured by 
prowling hyenas and others of the carnivora 
which infested the region, lay rotting upon the 
ground, and among the corpses remained suf- 
ficient remnants of their clothing and orna- 
ments to make clear to Basuli the frightful 
story of the disaster that had befallan his 
master’s house. 


95 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


“ The Arabs/’ he said, as his men clustered 
about him. 

The Waziri gazed about in mute rage for 
several minutes. Everywhere they encountered 
only further evidence of the ruthlessness of the 
cruel enemy that had come during the Great 
Bwana’s absence and laid waste his property. 

“ What did they with 1 Lady ” asked one 
of the blacks. 

They had always called Lady Greystoke thus. 

“ The women they would have taken with 
them,” said Basuli. “ Our women and his.” 

A giant black raised his spear above his head, 
and gave voice to a savage cry of rage and hate. 
The others followed his example. Basuli si- 
lenced them with a gesture. 

“This is no time for useless noises <?f the 
mouth,” he said. “ The Great Bwana has 
taught us that it is acts by which things are 
done, not words. Let us save our breath — we 
shall need it all to follow up the Arabs and slay 
them. If 6 Lady 9 and our women live the 
greater the need of haste, and warriors cannot 
travel fast upon empty lungs.” 

From the shelter of the reeds along the river, 
Werper and Tarzan watched the blacks. They 
96 


THE THEFT OF THE JEWELS 


saw them dig a trench with their knives and 
fingers. They saw them lay their yellow bur- 
dens in it and scoop the overturned earth back 
over the tops of the ingots. 

Tarzan seemed little interested, after Werper 
had assured him that that which they buried 
was not good to eat; but Werper was intensely 
interested. He would have given much had he 
had his own followers with him, that he might 
take away the treasure as soon as the blacks 
left, for he was sure that they would leave this 
scene of desolation and death as soon as pos- 
sible. 

The treasure buried, the blacks removed 
themselves a short distance up wind from the 
fetid corpses, where they made camp, that they 
might rest before setting out in pursuit of the 
Arabs. It was already dusk. Werper and 
Tarzan sat devouring some pieces of meat they 
had brought from their last camp. The Bel- 
gian was occupied with his plans for the imme- 
diate future. He was positive that the Waziri 
would pursue Achmet Zek, for he knew enough 
of savage warfare, and of the characteristics 
of the Arabs and their degraded followers to 
guess that they had carried the Waziri women 
97 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


off into slavery. This alone would assure im- 
mediate pursuit by so warlike a people as the 
Waziri. 

Werper felt that he should find the means 
and the opportunity to push on ahead, that he 
might warn Achmet Zek of the coming of Ba- 
suli, and also of the location of the buried 
treasure. What the Arab would now do with 
Lady Greystoke, in view of the mental affliction 
of her husband, Werper neither knew nor cared. 
It was enough that the golden treasure buried 
upon the site of the burned bungalow was in- 
finitely more valuable than any ransom that 
would have occurred even to the avaricious 
mind of the Arab, and if Werper could persuade 
the raider to share even a portion of it with 
him he would be well satisfied. 

But by far the most important consideration, 
to Werper, at least, was the incalculably valua- 
ble treasure in the little leathern pouch at Tar- 
zan’s side. If he could but obtain possession, 
of this ! He must ! He would ! 

His eyes wandered to the object of his greed. 
They measured Tarzan ? s giant frame, and 
rested upon the rounded muscles of his arms. 
It was hopeless. What could he, Werper, hope 
98 


THE THEFT OF THE JEWELS 


to accomplish, other than his own death, by an 
attempt to wrest the gems from their savage 
owner? 

Disconsolate, Werper threw himself upon his 
side. His head was pillowed on one arm, the 
other rested across his face in such a way that 
his eyes were hidden from the ape-man, though 
one of them was fastened upon him from be- 
neath the shadow of the Belgian’s forearm. 
For a time he lay thus, glowering at Tarzan, 
and originating schemes for plundering him of 
his treasure — schemes that were discarded as 
futile as rapidly as they were horn. 

Tarzan presently let his own eyes rest upon 
Werper. The Belgian saw that he was being 
watched, and lay very still. After a few mo- 
ments he simulated the regular breathing of 
deep slumber. 

Tarzan had been thinking. He had seen the 
Waziri bury their belongings. Werper had 
told him that they were hiding them lest some 
one find them and take them away. This seemed 
to Tarzan a splendid plan for safeguarding 
valuables. Since Werper had evinced a desire 
to possess his glittering pebbles, Tarzan, with 
the suspicions of a savage, had guarded the 
99 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


baubles, of whose worth he was entirely igno- 
rant, as zealously as though they spelled life or 
death to him. 

For a long time the ape-man sat watching 
his companion. At last, convinced that he slept, 
Tarzan withdrew his hunting knife and com- 
menced to dig a hole in the ground before him. 
With the blade he loosened up the earth, and 
with his hands he scooped it out until he had 
excavated a little cavity a few inches in diam- 
eter, and five or six inches in depth. Into this 
he placed the pouch of jewels. Werper almost 
forgot to breathe after the fashion of a sleeper 
as he saw what the ape-man was doing — he 
scarce repressed an ejaculation of satisfac- 
tion. 

Tarzan became suddenly rigid as his keen 
ears noted the cessation of the regular inspira- 
tions and expirations of his companion. His 
narrowed eyes bored straight down upon the 
Belgian. Werper felt that he was lost — he 
must risk all on his ability to carry on the de- 
ception. He sighed, threw both arms outward, 
and turned over on his back mumbling as 
though in the throes of a bad dream. A mo- 
ment later he resumed the regular breathing. 

100 


THE THEFT OF THE JEWELS 


Now he could not watch Tarzan, hut he was 
sure that the man sat for a long time looking 
at him. Then, faintly, Werper heard the oth- 
er’s hands scraping dirt, and later patting it 
down. He knew then that the jewels were 
buried. 

It was an hour before Werper moved again, 
then he rolled over facing Tarzan ahd opened 
his eyes. The ape-man slept. By reaching out 
his hand Werper could touch the spot where the 
pouch was buried. 

For a long time he lay watching and listen- 
ing. He moved about, making more noise than 
necessary, yet Tarzan did not awaken. He drew 
the sacrificial knife from his belt, and plunged 
it into the ground. Tarzan did not move. Cau- 
tiously the Belgian pushed the blade downward 
through the loose earth above thp pouch. He 
felt the point touch the soft, tough fabric of 
the leather. Then he pried down upon the han- 
dle. Slowly the little mound of loose earth rose 
and parted. An instant later a corner of the 
pouch came into view. Werper pulled it from 
its hiding place, and tucked it in his shirt. Then 
he refilled the hole and pressed the dirt care- 
fully down as it had been before. 

101 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


Greed had prompted him to an act, the dis- 
covery of which by his companion could lead 
only to the most frightful consequences for 
Werper. Already he could almost feel those 
strong, white fangs burying themselves in his 
neck. He shuddered. Far out across the plain 
a leopard screamed, and in the dense reeds be- 
hind him some great beast moved on padded 
feet. 

Werper feared these prowlers of the night; 
but infinitely more he feared the just wrath of 
the human beast sleeping at his side. With ut- 
most caution the Belgian arose. Tarzan did not 
move. Werper took a few steps toward the 
plain and the distant forest to the northwest, 
then he paused and fingered the hilt of the long 
knife in his belt. He turned and looked down 
upon the sleeper. 

“ Why not? ” he mused. “ Then I should be 
safe.” 

He returned and bent above the ape-man. 
Clutched tightly in his hand was the sacrificial 
knife of the High Priestess of the Flaming God ! 


102 


CHAPTER X 

ACHMET ZEK SEES THE JEWELS 

M UGAMBI, weak and suffering, had 
dragged his painful way along the trail 
of the retreating raiders. He could move but 
6lowly, resting often; but savage hatred and 
an equally savage desire for vengeance kept 
him to his task. As the days passed his wounds 
healed and his strength returned, until at last 
his giant frame had regained all of its former 
mighty powers. Now he went more rapidly; 
but the mounted Arabs had covered a great dis- 
tance while the wounded black had been pain- 
fully crawling after them. 

They had reached their fortified camp, and 
there Achmet Zek awaited the return of his 
lieutenant, Albert Werper. During the long, 
rough journey, Jane Clayton had suffered more 
in anticipation of her impending fate than from 
the hardships of the road. 

Achmet Zek had not deigned to acquaint her 
with his intentions regarding her future. She 
103 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


prayed that she had been captured in the hope 
of ransom, for if such should prove the case, 
no great harm would befall her at the hands of 
the Arabs ; but there was the chance, the horrid 
chance, that another fate awaited her. She had 
heard of many women, among whom were white 
women, who had been sold by outlaws such as 
Achmet Zek into the slavery of black harems, 
or taken farther north into the almost equally 
hideous existence of some Turkish seraglio. 

Jane Clayton was of sterner stuff than that 
which bends in spineless terror before danger. 
Until hope proved futile she would not give it 
up; nor did she entertain thoughts of self-de- 
struction only as a final escape from dishonor. 
So long as Tarzan lived there was every reason 
to expect succor. No man nor beast who 
roamed the savage continent could boast the 
cunning and the powers of her lord and master. 
To her, he was little short of omnipotent in his 
native world — This world of savage beasts and 
savage men. Tarzan would come, and she 
should be rescued and avenged, of that she was 
certain. She counted the days that must elapse 
before he would return from Opar and dis- 
cover what had transpired during his absence, 
104 


ACHMET ZEK SEES THE JEWELS 


After that it would be but a short time before 
he had surrounded the Arab stronghold and 
punished the motley crew of wrongdoers who 
inhabited it. 

That he could find her she had no slightest 
doubt. No spoor, however faint, could elude 
the keen vigilance of his senses. To him, the 
trail of the raiders would be as plain as the 
printed page of an open book to her. 

And while she hoped, there came through the 
dark jungle another. Terrified by night and 
by day, came Albert Werper. A dozen times 
he had escaped the claws and fangs of the giant 
carnivora only by what seemed a miracle to 
him. Armed with nothing more than the knife 
he had brought with him from Opar, he had 
made his way through as savage a country as 
yet exists upon the face of the globe. 

By night he had slept in trees. By day he 
had stumbled fearfully on, often taking refuge 
among the branches when sight or sound of 
some great cat warned him from danger. But 
at last he had come within sight of the palisade 
behind which were his fierce companions. 

At almost the same time Mugambi came out 
of the jungle before the walled village. As he 
105 


TAKZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


stood in the shadow of a great tree, reconnoiter- 
ing, he saw a man, ragged and disheveled 
emerge from the jungle almost at his elbow. 
Instantly he recognized the newcomer as he 
who had been a guest of his master before the 
latter had departed for Opar. 

The black was upon the point of hailing the 
Belgian when something stayed him. He saw 
the white man walking confidently across the 
clearing toward the village gate. No sane man 
thus approached a village in this part of Africa 
unless he was sure of a friendly welcome. 
Mugambi waited. His suspicions were aroused. 

He heard Werper halloo; he saw the gates 
swing open, and he witnessed the surprised and 
friendly welcome that was accorded the erst- 
while guest of Lord and Lady Greystoke. A 
light broke upon the understanding of Mu- 
gambi. This white man had been a traitor 
and a spy. It was to him they owed the raid 
during the absence of the Great Bwana. To 
his hate for the Arabs, Mugambi added a still 
greater hate for the white spy. 

Within the village Werper passed hurriedly 
toward the silken tent of Achmet Zek. The 
Arab arose as his lieutenant entered. His face 
106 


ACHMET ZEK SEES THE JEWELS 


showed surprise as lie viewed the tattered 
apparel of the Belgian. 

“ What has happened? ” he asked. 

Werper narrated all, save the little matter 
of the pouch of gems which were now tightly 
strapped about his waist, beneath his clothing. 
The Arab’s eyes narrowed greedily as his 
henchman discribed the treasure that the 
Waziri had buried beside the ruins of the 
Greystoke bungalow. 

“It will be a simple matter now to return 
and get it,” said Achmet Zek. “ First we will 
await the coming of the rash Waziri, and after 
we have slain them we may take our time to 
the treasure — none will disturb it where it 
lies, for we shall leave none alive who knows 
of its existence.” 

“ And the woman? ” asked Werper. 

“ I shall sell her in the north,” replied the 
raider. “ It is the only way, now. She should 
bring a good price.” 

The Belgian nodded. He was thinking rap- 
idly. If he could persuade Achmet Zek to send 
him in command of the party which took Lady 
Greystoke north it would give him the oppor- 
tunity he craved to make his escape from his 
107 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


chief. He would forego a share of the gold, if 
he could hut get away unscathed with the 
jewels. 

He knew Achmet Zek well enough by this 
time to know that no member of his band ever 
was voluntarily released from the service of 
Achmet Zek. Most of the few who deserted 
were recaptured. More than once had Wer- 
per listened to their agonized screams as they 
were tortured before being put to death. The 
Belgian had no wish to take the slightest chance 
of recapture. 

i 1 Who will go north with the woman, * ’ he 
asked, “ while we are returning for the gold 
that the Waziri buried by the bungalow of the 
Englishman? 99 

Achmet Zek thought for a moment. The 
buried gold was of much greater value than the 
price the woman would bring. It was neces- 
sary to rid himself of her as quickly as pos- 
sible and it was also well to obtain the gold 
with the least possible delay. Of all his fol- 
lowers, the Belgian was the most logical lieu- 
tenant to intrust with the command of one of 
the parties. An Arab, as familiar with the 
trails and tribes as Achmet Zek himself, might 
108 


ACHMET ZEK SEES THE JEWELS 


collect the woman’s price and make good his 
escape into the far north. Werper, on the 
other hand, could scarce make his escape alone 
through a country hostile to Europeans while 
the men he would with the Belgian could 
be carefully selected with a view to prevent- 
ing Werper from persuading any considerable 
portion of his command to accompany him 
should he contemplate desertion of his chief. 

At last the Arab spoke: 1 4 It is not neces- 
sary that we both return for the gold. You 
shall go north with the woman, carrying a let- 
ter to a friend of mine who is always in touch 
with the best markets for such merchandise, 
while I return for the gold. We can meet again 
here when our business is concluded.” 

Werper could scarce disguise the joy with 
which he received this welcome decision. And 
that he did entirely disguise it from the keen 
and suspicious eyes of Achmet Zek is open to 
question. However, the decision reached, the 
Arab and his lieutenant discussed the details of 
their forthcoming ventures for a short time 
further, when Werper made his excuses and 
returned to his own tent for the comforts and 
luxury of a long-desired bath and shave. 

109 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


Having bathed, the Belgian tied a small hand 
mirror to a cord sewn to the rear wall of his 
tent, placed a rude chair beside an equally rude 
table that stood beside the glass, and proceeded 
to remove the rough stubble from his face. 

In the catalog of masculine pleasures there 
is scarce one which imparts a feeling of greater 
comfort and refreshment than follows a clean 
shave, and now, with weariness temporarily 
banished, Albert Werper sprawled in his rick- 
ety chair to enjoy a final cigaret before retir- 
ing. His thumbs, tucked in his belt in lazy 
support of the weight of his arms, touched the 
belt which held the jewel pouch about his waist. 
He tingled with excitement as he let his mind 
dwell upon the value of the treasure, which, 
unknown to all save himself, lay hid beneath 
his clothing. 

What would Achmet Zek say, if he knew? 
Werper grinned. How the old rascal’s eyes 
would pop could he but have a glimpse of those 
scintillating beauties! Werper had never yet 
had an opportunity to feast his eyes for any 
great length of time upon them. He had not 
even counted them — only roughly had he 
guessed at their value. 

110 


ACHMET ZEK SEES THE JEWELS 


He unfastened the belt and drew the pouch 
from its hiding place. He was alone. The 
balance of the camp, save the sentries, had 
retired — none would enter the Belgian’s tent. 
He fingered the pouch, feeling out the shapes 
and sizes of the precious, little nodules within. 
He hefted the bag, first in one palm, then in 
the other, and at last he wheeled his chair 
slowly around before the table, and in the rays 
of his small lamp let the glittering gems roll 
out upon the rough wood. 

The refulgent rays transformed the interior 
of the soiled and squalid canvas to the splen- 
dor of a palace in the eyes of the dreaming 
man. He saw the gilded halls of pleasure that 
would open their portals to the possessor of 
the wealth which lay scattered upon this stained 
and dented table top. He dreamed of joys 
and luxuries and power which always had been 
beyond his grasp, and as he dreamed his gaze 
lifted from the table, as the gaze of a dreamer 
will, to a far distant goal above the mean hori- 
zon of terrestrial commonplaceness. 

Unseeing, his eyes rested upon the shaving 
mirror which still hung upon the tent wall 
above the table; but his sight was focused far 
111 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


beyond. And then a reflection moved within 
the polished surface of the tiny glass, the man’s 
eyes shot back out of space to the mirror’s 
face, and in it he saw reflected the grim vis- 
age of Achmet Zek, framed in the flaps of the 
tent doorway behind him. 

Werper stifled a gasp of dismay. With rare 
self-possession he let his gaze drop, without 
appearing to have halted upon the mirror, until 
it rested again upon the gems. Without haste, 
he replaced them in the pouch, tucked the lat- 
ter into his shirt, selected a cigaret from his 
case, lighted it and rose. Yawning, and stretch- 
ing his arms above his head, he turned slowly 
toward the opposite end of the tent. The face 
of Achmet Zek had disappeared from the open- 
ing. 

To say that Albert Werper was terrified 
would be putting it mildly. He realized that 
he not only had sacrificed his treasure ; but his 
life as well. Achmet Zek would never permit 
the wealth that he had discovered to slip 
through his fingers, nor would he forgive the 
duplicity of a lieutenant who had gained pos- 
session of such a treasure without offering to 
share it with his chief. 

112 


ACHMET ZEK SEES THE JEWELS 


Slowly the Belgian prepared for bed. If 
he were being watched, he could not know ; but 
if so the watcher saw no indication of the 
nervous excitement which the European strove 
to conceal. When ready for his blankets, the 
man crossed to the little table and extinguished 
the light. 

It was two hours later that the flaps at the 
front of the tent separated silently and gave 
entrance to a dark-robed figure, which passed 
noiselessly from the darkness without to the 
darkness within. Cautiously the prowler 
crossed the interior. In one hand was a long 
knife. He came at last to the pile of blankets 
spread upon several rugs close to one of the 
tent walls. 

Lightly, his fingers sought and found the 
bulk beneath the blankets — the bulk that 
should be Albert Werper. They traced out the 
figure of a man, and then an arm shot up- 
ward, poised for an instant and descended. 
Again and again it rose and fell, and each 
time the long blade of the knife buried itself 
in the thing beneath the blankets. But there 
was an initial lifelessness in the silent bulk 
that gave the assassin momentary wonder. 

113 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


Feverishly he threw back the coverlets, and 
searched with nervous hands for the pouch of 
jewels which he expected to find concealed upon 
his victim’s body. 

An instant later he rose with a curse upon 
his lips. It was Achmet Zek, and he cursed 
because he had discovered beneath the blankets 
of his lieutenant only a pile of discarded cloth- 
ing arranged in the form and semblance of a 
sleeping man — Albert Werper had fled. 

Out into the village ran the chief, calling 
in angry tones to the sleepy Arabs, who 
tumbled from their tents in answer to his voice. 
But though they searched the village again 
and again they found no trace of the Belgian. 
Foaming with anger, Achmet Zek called his 
followers to horse, and though the night was 
pitchy black they set out to scour the adjoin- 
ing forest for their quarry. 

As they galloped from the open gates, 
Mugambi, hiding in a nearby bush, slipped, 
unseen, within the palisade. A score of blacks 
crowded about the entrance to watch the 
searchers depart, and as the last of them passed 
out of the village the blacks seized the por- 
tals and drew them to, and Mugambi lent a 
114 


ACHMET ZEE SEES THE JEWELS 


hand in the work as though the best of his life 
had been spent among the raiders. 

In the darkness he passed, unchallenged, as 
one of their number, and as they returned from 
the gates to their respective tents and huts, 
Mugambi melted into the shadows and dis- 
appeared. 

For an hour he crept about in the rear of the 
various huts and tents in an effort to locate 
that in which his master’s mate was impris- 
oned. One there was which he was reasonably 
assured contained her t foi it was the only hut 
before the door of which a sentry had been 
posted. Mugambi was crouching in the shadow 
of this structure, just around the corner from 
the unsuspecting guard, when another ap- 
proached to relieve his comrade. 

1 6 The prisoner is safe within! ” asked the 
newcomer. 

“ She is,” replied the other, u for none has 
passed this doorway since I came.” 

The new sentry squatted beside the door, 
while he whom he had relieved made his way 
to his own hut. Mugambi slunk closer to the 
corner of the building. In one powerful hand 
he gripped a heavy knob-stick. No sign of 
115 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


elation disturbed his phlegmatic calm, yet in- 
wardly he was aroused to joy by the proof he 
had just had that “ Lady ” really was within. 

The sentry’s back was toward the corner 
of the hut which hid the giant black. The fel- 
low did not see the huge form which silently 
loomed behind him. The knob-stick swung up- 
ward in a curve, and downward again. There 
was the sound of a dull thud, the crushing of 
heavy bone, and the sentry slumped into a 
silent, inanimate lump of clay. 

A moment later Mugambi was searching the 
interior of the hut. At first slowly, calling, 
“Lady!” in a low whisper, and finally with 
almost frantic haste, until the truth presently 
dawned upon him — the hut was empty! 


116 


CHAPTER XI 

TARZAN BECOMES A BEAST AGAIN 

F OR a moment Werper had stood above the 
sleeping ape-man, his murderous knife 
poised for the fatal thrust ; but fear stayed his 
hand. What if the first blow should fail to 
drive the point to his victim’s heart? Werper 
shuddered in contemplation of the disastrous 
consequences to himself. Awakened, and even 
with a few moments of life remaining, the giant 
could literally tear his assailant to pieces should 
he choose, and the Belgian had no doubt but 
*hat Tarzan would so choose. 

Again came the soft sound of padded foot- 
steps in the reeds — closer this time. Werper 
abandoned his design. Before him stretched 
the wide plain and escape. The jewels were 
in his possession. To remain longer was to 
risk death at the hands of Tarzan, or the jaws 
of the hunter creeping ever nearer. Turning, 
he slunk away through the night, toward the 
distant forest. 


117 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


Tarzan slept on. Where were those uncanny, 
guardian powers that had formerly rendered 
him immune from the dangers of surprise? 
Could this dull sleeper be the alert, sensitive 
Tarzan of old? 

Perhaps the blow upon his head had numbed 
his senses, temporarily — who may say? Closer 
crept the stealthy creature through the reeds. 
The rustling curtain of vegetation parted a 
few paces from where the sleeper lay, and the 
massive head of a lion appeared. The beast 
surveyed the ape-man intently for a moment, 
then he crouched, his hind feet drawn well 
beneath him, his tail lashing from side to side. 

It was the beating of the beast’s tail against 
the reeds which awakened Tarzan. Jungle folk 
do not awaken slowly — instantly, full con- 
sciousness and full command of their every fac- 
ulty returns to them from the depth of profound 
slumber. 

Even as Tarzan opened his eyes he was upon 
his feet, his spear grasped firmly in his hand 
and ready for attack. Again was he Tarzan 
of the Apes, sentient, vigilant, ready. 

No two lions have identical characteristics, 
nor does the same lion invariably act similarly 
118 


TARZAN BECOMES A BEAST AGAIN 


under like circumstances. Whether it was sur- 
prise, fear or caution which prompted the lion 
crouching ready to spring upon the man, is 
immaterial — the fact remains that he did not 
carry out his original design, he did not spring 
at the man at all, hut, instead, wheeled and 
sprang back into the reeds as Tarzan arose 
and confronted him. 

The ape-man shrugged his broad shoulders 
and looked about for his* companion. Werper 
was nowhere to be seen. At first Tarzan sus- 
pected that the man had been seized and dragged 
off by another lion; but upon examination of 
the ground he soon discovered that the Belgian 
had gone away alone out into the plain. 

For a moment he was puzzled ; but presently 
came to the conclusion that Werper had been 
frightened by the approach of the lion, and had 
sneaked off in terror. A sneer touched Tar- 
zan ’s lips as he pondered the man’s act — the 
desertion of a comrade in time of danger, and 
without warning. Well, if that was the sort of 
creature Werper was, Tarzan wished nothing 
more of him. He had gone, and for all the 
ape-man cared, he might remain away — Tar- 
zan would not search for him. 

119 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


A hundred yards from where he stood grew 
a large tree, alone upon the edge of the reedy 
jungle. Tarzan made his way to it, clambered 
into it, and finding a comfortable crotch among 
its branches, reposed himself for uninterrupted 
sleep until morning. 

And when morning came Tarzan slept on 
long after the sun had risen. His mind, re- 
verted to the primitive, was untroubled by any 
more serious obligations than those of pro- 
viding sustenance, and safeguarding his life. 
Therefore there was nothing to awaken for 
until danger threatened, or the pangs of hun- 
ger assailed. It was the latter which eventually 
aroused him. 

Opening his eyes, he stretched his giant 
thews, yawned, rose and gazed about him 
through the leafy foliage of his retreat. Across 
the wasted meadowlands and fields of John 
Clayton, Lord Greystoke, Tarzan of the Apes 
looked, as a stranger, upon the moving figures 
of Basuli and his braves as they prepared their 
morning meal and made ready to set out upon 
the expedition which Basuli had planned after 
discovering the havoc and disaster which had 
befallen the estate of his dead master. 

120 


TARZAN BECOMES A BEAST AGAIN 


The ape-man eyed the blacks with curiosity. 
In the hack of his brain loitered a fleeting sense 
of familiarity with all that he saw, yet he could 
not connect any of the various forms of life, 
animate and inanimate, which had fallen within 
the range of his vision since he had emerged 
from the darkness of the pits of Opar, with 
any particular event of the past. 

Hazily he recalled a grim and hideous form, 
hairy, ferocious. A vague tenderness domi- 
nated his savage sentiments as this phantom 
memory struggled for recognition. His mind 
had reverted to his childhood days — it was 
the figure of the giant she-ape, Kala, that he 
saw; but only half recognized. He saw, too, 
other grotesque, manlike forms. They were of 
Terkoz, Tublat, Kerchak, and a smaller, less 
ferocious figure, that was Neeta, the little play- 
mate of his boyhood. 

Slowly, very slowly, as these visions of the 
past reanimated his lethargic memory, he came 
to recognize them. They took definite shape 
and form, adjusting themselves nicely to the 
various incidents of his life with which they 
had been intimately connected. His boyhood 
among the apes spread itself in a slow pan- 
121 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


orama before him, and as it unfolded it induced 
within bim a mighty longing for the compan- 
ionship of the shaggy, low-browed brutes of his 
past. 

He watched the blacks scatter their cook 
fire and depart ; but though the face of each of 
them had but recently been as familiar to him 
as his own, they awakened within him no recol- 
lections whatsoever. 

When they had gone, he descended from the 
tree and sought food. Out upon the plain 
grazed numerous herds of wild ruminants. 
Toward a sleek, fat bunch of zebra he wormed 
his stealthy way. No intricate process of rea- 
soning caused him to circle widely until he 
v^as down wind from his prey — he acted in- 
stinctively. He took advantage of every form 
of cover as he crawled upon all fours and often 
flat upon his stomach toward them. 

A plump young mare and a fat stallion 
grazed nearest to him as he neared the herd. 
Again it was instinct which selected the former 
for his meat. A low bush grew but a few yards 
from the unsuspecting two. The ape-man 
reached its shelter. He gathered his spear 
firmly in his grasp. Cautiously he drew his 
122 


TAEZAN BECOMES A BEAST AGAIN 


feet beneath him. In a single swift move he 
rose and cast his heavy weapon at the mare’s 
side. Nor did he wait to note the effect of his 
assault, but leaped catlike after his spear, his 
hunting knife in his hand. 

For an instant the two animals stood motion- 
less. The tearing of the cruel barb into her 
side brought a sudden scream of pain and 
fright from the mare, and then they both 
wheeled and broke for safety; but Tarzan of 
the Apes, for a distance of a few yards, could 
equal the speed of even these, and the first 
stride of the mare found her overhauled, with 
a savage beast at her shoulder. She turned, 
biting and kicking at her foe. Her mate hesi- 
tated for an instant, as though about to rush 
to her assistance; but a backward glance re- 
vealed to him the flying heels of the balance 
of the herd, and with a snort and a shake of 
his head he wheeled and dashed away. 

Clinging with one hand to the short mane of 
his quarry, Tarzan struck again and again with 
nis knifo at the unprotected heart. The re- 
sult had, from the first, been inevitable. The 
mare fought bravely, but hopelessly, and pres- 
ently sank to the earth, her heart pierced. The 
123 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OP OPAR 


ape-mah placed a foot upon her carcass and 
raised his voice in the victory call of the Man- 
gani. In the distance, Basuli halted as the 
faint notes of the hideous scream broke upon 
Ms ears. 

“ The great apes,” he said to his compan- 
ion. “ It has been long since I have heard 
them in the country of the Waziri. What could 
have brought them back? ” 

Tarzan grasped his kill and dragged it to 
the partial seclusion of the bush which had 
Mdden his own near approach, and there he 
squatted upon it, cut a huge hunk of flesh from 
the loin and proceeded to satisfy his hunger 
with the warm and dripping meat. 

Attracted by the shrill screams of the mare, 
a pair of hyenas slunk presently into view. 
They trotted to a point a few yards from the 
gorging ape-man, and halted. Tarzan looked 
up, bared his fighting fangs and growled. The 
hyenas returned the compliment, and withdrew 
a couple of paces. They made no move to at- 
tack; but continued to sit at a respectful dis- 
tance until Tarzan had concluded his meal. 
After the ape-man had cut a few strips from 
the carcass to carry with him, he walked slowly 
124 


TABZAN BECOMES A BEAST AGAIN 


off in the direction of the river to quench his 
thirst. His way lay directly toward the hyenas, 
nor did he alter his course because of them. 

With all the lordly majesty of Numa, the 
lion, he strode straight toward the growling 
beasts. For a moment they held their ground, 
bristling and defiant; but only for a moment, 
and then slunk away to one side while the in- 
different ape-man passed them on his lordly 
way. A moment later they were tearing at the 
remains of the zebra. 

Back to the reeds went Tarzan, and through 
them toward the river. A herd of buffalo, 
startled by his approach, rose ready to charge 
or to fly. A great bull pawed the ground and 
bellowed as his bloodshot eyes discovered the 
intruder; but the ape-man passed across fheir 
front as though ignorant of their existence. 
The bull's bellowing lessened to a low rum- 
bling, he turned and scraped a horde of flies 
from his side with his muzzle, cast a final glance 
at the ape-man and resumed his feeding. His 
numerous family either followed his example 
or stood gazing after Tarzan in mild-eyed curi- 
osity, until the opposite reeds swallowed him 
from view. 


125 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


At the river, Tarzan drank his fill and bathed. 
During the heat of the day he lay up under the 
shade of a tree near the ruins of his burned 
barns. His eyes wandered out across the plain 
toward the forest, and a longing for the pleas- 
ures of its mysterious depths possessed his 
thoughts for a considerable time. With the 
next sun he would cross the open and enter the 
forest! There was no hurry — there lay before 
him an endless vista of tomorrows with naught 
to fill them but the satisfying of the appetites 
and caprices of the moment. 

The ape-man’s mind was untroubled by re- 
gret for the past, or aspiration for the future. 
He could lie at full length along a swaying 
branch, stretching his giant limbs, and luxuriat- 
ing in the blessed peace of utter thoughtless- 
ness, without an apprehension or a worry to 
sap his nervous energy and rob him of his 
peace of mind. Recalling only dimly any other 
existence, the ape-man was happy. Lord Grey- 
stoke had ceased to exist. 

For several hours Tarzan lolled upon his 
swaying, leafy couch until once again hunger 
and thirst suggested an excursion. Stretch- 
ing lazily he dropped to the ground and moved 
126 


TAEZAN BECOMES A BEAST AGAIN 


slowly toward the river. The game trail down 
which he walked had become by ages of use 
a deep, narrow trench, its walls topped on 
either side by impenetrable thicket and dense- 
growing trees closely interwoven with thick- 
stemmed creepers and lesser vines inextricably 
matted into two solid ramparts of vegetation. 
Tarzan had almost reached the point whei * 
the trail debouched upon the open river bot 
tom when he saw a family of lions approach- 
ing along the path from the direction of the 
river. The ape-man counted seven — a male 
and two lionesses, full grown, and four young 
lions as large and quite as formidable as their 
parents. Tarzan halted, growling, and the lions 
paused, the great male in the lead baring his 
fangs and rumbling forth a warning roar. In 
his hand the ape-man held his heavy spear; 
but he had no intention of pitting his puny 
weapon against seven lions ; yet he stood there 
growling and roaring and the lions did like- 
wise. It was purely an exhibition of jungle 
bluff. Each was trying to frighten off the 
other. Neither wished to turn back and give 
way, nor did either at first desire to precipitate 
an encounter. The lions were fed up suffi- 
127 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


ciently so as not to be goaded by pangs of hun- 
ger and as for Tarzan he seldom ate the meat of 
the carnivores ; but a point of ethics was at stake 
and neither side wished to back down. So they 
stood there facing one another, making all sorts 
of hideous noises the while they hurled jungle 
invective back and forth. How long this blood- 
less duel would have persisted it is difficult to 
say, though eventually Tarzan would have been 
forced to yield to superior numbers. 

There came, however, an interruption which 
put an end to the deadlock and it came from 
Tarzan ’s rear. He and the lions had been mak- 
ing so much noise that neither could hear any- 
thing above their concerted bedlam, and so it 
was that Tarzan did not hear the great bulk 
bearing down upon him from behind until an 
instant before it was upon him, and then he 
turned to see Buto, the rhinoceros, his little, 
pig eyes blazing, charging madly toward him 
and already so close that escape seemed im< 
possible ; yet so perfectly were mind and muscles 
coordinated in this unspoiled, primitive man 
that almost simultaneously with the sense per- 
ception of the threatened danger he wheeled 
and hurled his spear at Buto’s chest. It was 
128 


TARZAN BECOMES A BEAST AGAIN 


a heavy spear shod with iron, and behind it 
were the giant muscles of the ape-man, while 
coming to meet it was the enormous weight of 
Buto and the momentum of his rapid rush. All 
that happened in the instant that Tarzan turned 
to meet the charge of the irascible rhinoceros 
might take long to tell, and yet would have 
taxed the swiftest lens to record. As his spear 
left his hand the ape-man was looking down 
upon the mighty horn lowered to toss him, so 
close was Buto to him. The spear entered the 
rhinoceros ’ neck at its junction with the left 
shoulder and passed almost entirely through 
the beast’s body, and at the instant that he 
launched it, Tarzan leaped straight into the 
air alighting upon Buto ’s back but escaping the 
mighty horn. 

Then Buto espied the lions and bore madly 
down upon them while Tarzan of the Apes 
leaped nimbly into the tangled creepers at one 
side of the trail. The first lion met Buto’s 
charge and was tossed high over the back of 
the maddened brute, tom and dying, and then 
the six remaining lions were upon the rhinoc- 
eros, rending and tearing the while they were 
being gored or trampled. From the safety 
129 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


of his perch Tarzan watched the battle royal 
with the keenest interest, for the more intelli- 
gent of the jungle folk are interested in snch 
encounters. They are to them what the race 
track and the prize ring, the theater and the 
movies are to us. They see them often; but 
always they enjoy them for no two are pre- 
cisely alike. 

For a time it seemed to Tarzan that Buto, 
the rhinoceros, would prove victor in the gory 
battle. Already had he accounted for four 
of the seven lions and badly wounded the three 
remaining when in a momentary lull in the 
encounter he sank limply to his knees and rolled 
over upon his side. Tarzan’s spear had done 
its work. It was the man-made weapon which 
killed the great beast that might easily have 
survived the assault of seven mighty lions, for 
Tarzan ’s spear had pierced the great lungs, 
and Buto, with victory almost in sight, suc- 
cumbed to internal hemorrhage. 

Then Tarzan came down from his sanctuary 
and as the wounded lions, growling, dragged 
themselves away, the ape-man cut his spear 
from the body of Buto, hacked off a steak and 
vanished into the jungle. The episode was 
130 


TARZAN BECOMES A BEAST AGAIN 


over. It had been all in the day ’s work — some- 
thing which you and I might talk about for a 
lifetime Tarzan dismissed from his mind the 
moment that the scene passed from his sight. 


131 


CHAPTER Xn 

LA SEEKS VENGEANCE 

S WINGING back through the jungle in a 
wide circle the ape-man came to the river at 
another point, drank and took to the trees again 
and while he hunted, all oblivious of his past 
and careless of his future, there came through 
the dark jungles and the open, parklike places 
and across the wide meadows, where grazed the 
countless herbivora of the mysterious conti- 
nent, a weird and terrible caravan in search of 
him. There were fifty frightful men with hairy 
bodies and gnarled and crooked legs. They 
were armed with knives and great bludgeons 
and at their head marched an almost naked 
woman, beautiful beyond compare. It was La 
of Opar, High Priestess of the Flaming God, 
and fifty of her horrid priests searching for 
the purloiner of the sacred sacrificial knife. 

Never before had La passed beyond the 
crumbling outer walls of Opar; but never be- 
fore had need been so insistent. The sacred 
132 


LA SEEKS VENGEANCE 


knife was gone ! Handed down through count- 
less ages it had come to her as a heritage and 
an insignia of her religious office and regal 
authority from some long-dead progenitor of 
lost and forgotten Atlantis. The loss of the 
crown jewels or the Great Seal of England 
could have brought no greater consternation 
to a British king than did the pilfering of the 
sacred knife bring to La, the Oparian, Queen 
and High Priestess of the degraded remnants 
of the oldest civilization upon earth. When 
Atlantis, with all her mighty cities and her 
cultivated fields and her great commerce and 
culture and riches sank into the sea long ages 
since, she took with her all but a handful of her 
colonists working the vast gold mines of Cen- 
tral Africa. From these and their degraded 
Slaves and a later intermixture of the blood 
of the anthropoids sprung the gnarled men of 
Opar; but by some queer freak of fate, aided 
by natural selection, the old Atlantean strain 
had remained pure and undegraded in the fe- 
males descended from a single princess of the 
royal house of Atlantis who had been in Opar 
at the time of the great catastrophe. Such was 
La. 


133 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


Burning with, white-hot anger was the High 
Priestess, her heart a seething, molten mass 
of hatred for Tarzan of the Apes. The zeal 
of the religious fanatic whose altar has been 
desecrated was triply enhanced by the rage of 
a woman scorned. Twice had she thrown her 
heart at the feet of the godlike ape-man and 
twice had she been repulsed. La knew that she 
was beautiful — and she was beautiful, not by 
the standards of prehistoric Atlantis alone, but 
by those of modern times was La physically 
a creature of perfection. Before Tarzan came 
that first time to Opar, La had never seen a 
human male other than the grotesque and 
knotted men of her clan. With one of these 
she must mate sooner or later that the direct 
line of high priestesses might not be broken, 
unless Fate should bring other men to Opar. 
Before Tarzan came upon his first visit, La had 
had no thought that such men as he existed, 
for she knew only her hideous little priests and 
the bulls of the tribe of great anthropoids that 
had dwelt from time immemorial in and about 
Opar, until they had come to be looked upon 
almost as equals by the Oparians. Among the 
legends of Opar were tales of godlike men of th© 
134 


LA SEEKS VENGEANCE 


olden time and of black men who had come 
more recently; but these latter had been ene- 
mies who killed and robbed. And, too, these 
legends always held forth the hope that some 
day that nameless continent from which their 
race had sprung, would rise once more out of 
the sea and with slaves at the long sweeps 
would send her carven, gold-picked galleys forth 
to succor the long-exiled colonists. 

The coming of Tarzan had aroused within 
La’s breast the wild hope that at last the ful- 
fillment of this ancient prophecy was at hand; 
but more strongly still had it aroused the hot 
fires of love in a heart that never otherwise 
would have known the meaning of that all-con- 
suming passion, for such a wondrous creature 
as La could never have felt love for any of the 
repulsive priests of Opar. Custom, duty and 
religious zeal might have commanded the un- 
ion; but there could have been no love on La’s 
part. She had grown to young womanhood 
a cold and heartless creature, daughter of a 
thousand other cold, heartless, beautiful women 
who had never known love. And so when love 
came to her it liberated all the pent passions 
of a thousand generations, transforming La 
135 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


into a pulsing, throbbing volcano of desire, and 
with desire thwarted this great force of love 
and gentleness and sacrifice was transmuted 
by its own fires into one of hatred and revenge* 

It was in a state of mind superinduced by 
these conditions that La led forth her jabber- 
ing company to retrieve the sacred emblem of 
her high office and wreak vengeance upon the 
author of her wrongs. To Werper she gave 
little thought. The fact that the knife had been 
in his hand when it departed from Opar brought 
down no thoughts of vengeance upon his head. 
Of course, he should be slain when captured; 
but his death would give La no pleasure — she 
looked for that in the contemplated death ago- 
nies of Tarzan. He should be tortured. His 
should be a slow and frightful death. His 
punishment should be adequate to the immen- 
sity of his crime. He had wrested the sacred 
knife from La; he had lain sacrilegious hands 
upon the High Priestess of the Flaming God; 
he had desecrated the altar and the temple. 
For these things he should die; but he had 
scorned the love of La, the woman, and for this 
he should die horribly with great anguish. 

The march of La and her priests was not 
136 


LA SEEKS VENGEANCE 


without its adventures. Unused were these to 
the ways of the jungle, since seldom did any 
venture forth from behind Opar’s crumbling 
walls, yet their very numbers protected them 
and so they came without fatalities far along 
the trail of Tarzan and Werper. Three great 
apes accompanied them and to these was dele- 
gated the business of tracking the quarry, a 
feat beyond the senses of the Oparians. La 
Commanded. She arranged the order of march, 
she selected the camps, she set the hour for 
halting and the hour for resuming and though 
she was inexperienced in such matters, her na- 
tive intelligence was so far above that of the 
men or the apes that she did better than they 
could have done. She was a hard taskmaster, 
too, for she looked down with loathing and 
contempt upon the misshapen creatures 
amongst which cruel Fate had thrown her and 
to some extent vented upon them her dissatis- 
faction and her thwarted love. She made them 
build her a strong protection and shelter each 
night and keep a great fire burning before it 
from dusk to dawn. When she tired of walk- 
ing they were forced to carry her upon an 
improvised litter, nor did one dare to ques- 
137 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


tion her authority or her right to such services. 
In fact they did not question either. To them 
she was a goddess and each loved her and each 
hoped that he would be chosen as her mate, 
so they slaved for her and bore the stinging 
lash of her displeasure and the habitually 
haughty disdain of her manner without a 
murmur. 

For many days they marched, the apes follow- 
ing the trail easily and going a little distance 
ahead of the body of the caravan that they 
might warn the others of impending danger. 
It was during a noonday halt while all were 
lying resting after a tiresome march that one 
of the apes rose suddenly and sniffed the breeze. 
In a low guttural he cautioned the others to 
silence and a moment later was swinging quietly 
up wind into the jungle. La and the priests 
gathered silently together, the hideous little 
men fingering their knives and bludgeons, and 
awaited the return of the shaggy anthropoid. 

Nor had they long to wait before they saw 
him emerge from a leafy thicket and approach 
them. Straight to La he came and in the lan- 
guage of the great apes which was also the 
language of decadent Opar he addressed her. 

138 


LA SEEKS VENGEANCE 


“ The great Tarmangani lies asleep there, 1 f 
he said, pointing in the direction from which he 
had just come. “ Come and we can kill him.” 

“Do not kill him,” commanded La in cold 
tones. 4 1 Bring the great Tarmangani to me 
alive and nnhurt. The vengeance is La’s. Go; 
but make no sound! ” and she waved her hands 
to include all her followers. 

Cautiously the weird party crept through the 
jungle in the wake of the great ape until at 
last he halted them with a raised hand and 
pointed upward and a little ahead. There they 
saw the giant form of the ape-man stretched 
along a low bough and even in sleep one hand 
grasped a stout limb and one strong, brown 
leg reached out and overlapped another. At 
ease lay Tarzan of the Apes, sleeping heavily 
upon a fall stomach and dreaming of Numa, the 
lion, and Horta, the boar, and other creatures 
of the jungle. No intimation of danger assailed 
the dormant faculties of the ape-man — he saw 
no crouching hairy figures upon the ground 
beneath him nor the three apes that swung 
quietly into the tree beside him. 

The first intimation of danger that came to 
Tarzan was the impact of three bodies as the 
139 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


three apes leaped upon him and hurled him 
to the ground, where he alighted half stunned 
beneath their combined weight and was imme- 
diately set upon by the fifty hairy men or as 
many of them as could swarm upon his person. 
Instantly the ape-man became the center of a 
whirling, striking, biting maelstrom of horror. 
He fought nobly but the odds against him were 
too great. Slowly they overcame him though 
there was scarce one of them that did not feel 
the weight of his mighty fist or the rending of 
his fangs. 


140 


CHAPTER XIII 


CONDEMNED TO TOETUEE AND DEATH 

L A HAD followed lier company and when she 
r saw them clawing and biting at Tarzan, 
she raised her voice and cautioned them not to 
kill him. She saw that he was weakening and 
that soon the greater numbers would prevail 
over him, nor had she long to wait before the 
mighty jungle creature lay helpless and bound 
at her feet. 

4 ‘Bring him to the place at which we 
stopped / 9 she commanded and they carried 
Tarzan hack to the little clearing and threw 
him down beneath a tree. 

4 4 Build me a shelter l" ordered La. 4 4 We 
shall stop here tonight and tomorrow in the face 
of the Flaming God, La will offer up the heart 
of this defiler of the temple. Where is the 
sacred knife I Who took it from him ? * 9 
But no one had seen it and each was positive 
in his assurance that the sacrificial weapon had 
not been upon Tarzan ’s person when they cap- 
141 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


tured him. The ape-man looked upon the men- 
acing creatures which surrounded him and 
snarled his defiance. He looked upon La and 
smiled. In the face of death he was unafraid. 

“ Where is the knife? ” La asked him. 

“ I do not know,” replied Tarzan. “ The 
man took it with him when he slipped away dur- 
ing the night. Since you are so desirous for its 
return I would look for him and get it back for 
you, did you not hold me prisoner ; but now that 
I am to die I cannot get it back. Of what good 
was your knife, anyway? You can make 
another. Did you follow us all this way for 
nothing more than a knife? Let me go and find 
him and I will bring it back to you.” 

La laughed a bitter laugh, for in her heart 
she knew that Tarzan ’s sin was greater than 
the purloining of the sacred sacrificial knife 
of Opar; yet as she looked at him lying bound 
and helpless before her, tears rose to her eyes 
so that she had to turn away to hide them ; but 
she remained inflexible in her determination 
to make him pay in frightful suffering and 
in eventual death for daring to spurn the love 
of La. 

When the shelter was completed La had Tar- 
142 


CONDEMNED TO TORTURE AND DEATH 


zan transferred to it. “ All night I shall tor- 
ture him,” she muttered to her priests, “ and 
at the first streak of dawn you may prepare 
the flaming altar upon which his heart shall 
be offered up to the Flaming God. Gather wood 
well filled with pitch, lay it in the form and 
size of the altar at Opar in the center of the 
clearing that the Flaming God may look down 
upon our handiwork and be pleased. 

During the balance of the day the priests 
*>f Opar were busy erecting an altar in the cen 
ter of the clearing, and while they worked they 
chanted weird hymns in the ancient tongue 
of that lost continent that lies at the bottom 
of the Atlantic. They knew not the meanings 
of the words they mouthed; they but repeated 
the ritual that had been handed down from 
preceptor to neophyte since that long-gone day 
when the ancestors of the Piltdown man still 
swung by their tails in the humid jungles that 
are England now. 

And in the shelter of the hut, La paced to 
and fro beside the stoic ape-man. Resigned to 
his fate was Tarzan. No hope of succor 
gleamed through the dead black of the death 
sentence hanging over him. He knew that his 

m 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


giant muscles could not part the many strands 
that bound his wrists and ankles, for he had 
strained often, but ineffectually for release. He 
had no hope of outside help and only enemies 
surrounded him within the camp, and yet he 
smiled at La as she paced nervously back and 
forth the length of the shelter. 

And La? She fingered her knife and looked 
down upon her captive. She glared and mut- 
tered but she did not strike. “ Tonight! ” she 
thought i ‘ Tonight, when it is dark I will 
torture him. ,, She looked upon his perfect, 
godlike figure and upon his handsome, smiling 
face and then she steeled her heart again by 
thoughts of her love spumed; by religious 
thoughts that damned the infidel who had dese- 
crated the holy of holies; who had taken from 
the blood-stained altar of Opar the offering to 
the Flaming God — and not once but thrice. 
Three times had Tarzan cheated the god of her 
fathers. At the thought La paused and knelt 
at his side. In her hand was a sharp knife. 
She placed its point against the ape-man’s side 
and pressed upon the hilt; but Tarzan only 
smiled and shrugged his shoulders. 

How beautiful he was! La bent low over 
144 


CONDEMNED TO TORTURE AND DEATH 


him, looking into his eyes. How perfect was 
his figure. She compared it with those of the 
knurled and knotted men from whom she must 
choose a mate, and La shuddered at the thought. 
Dusk came and after dusk came night. A great 
fire blazed within the little thorn boma about 
the camp. The flames played upon the new 
altar erected in the center of the clearing, 
arousing in the mind of the High Priestess of 
the Flaming God a picture of the event of the 
coming dawn. She saw this giant and perfect 
form writhing amid the flames of the burn- 
ing pyre. She saw those smiling lips, burned 
and blackened, falling away from the strong, 
white teeth. She saw the shock of black hair 
tousled upon Tarzan’s well-shaped head dis- 
appear in a spurt of flame. She saw these and 
many other frightful pictures as she stood with 
closed eyes and clenched fists above the object 
of her hate — ah! was it hate that La of Opar 
felt? 

The darkness of the jungle night had set- 
tled down upon the camp, relieved only by the 
fitful flarings of the fire that was kept up to 
warn off the man-eaters. Tarzan lay quietly 
in his bonds. He suffered from thirst and from 
145 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


the cutting of the tight strands about his wrists 
and ankles; but he made no complaint. A 
jungle beast was Tarzan with the stoicism of 
the beast and the intelligence of man. He knew 
that his doom was sealed — that no supplica- 
tions would avail to temper the severity of 
his end and so he wasted no breath in plead- 
ings; but waited patiently in the firm convic- 
tion that his sufferings could not endure for- 
ever. 

In the darkness La stooped above him. In 
her hand was a sharp knife and in her mind 
the determination to initiate his torture with- 
out further delay. The knife was pressed 
against his side and La’s face was close to 
his when a sudden burst of flame from new 
branches thrown upon the fire without, 
lighted up the interior of the shelter. Close 
beneath her lips La saw the perfect features of 
the forest god and into her woman’s heart 
welled all the great love she had felt for Tar- 
zan since first she had seen him, and all the 
accumulated passion of the years that she had 
dreamed of him. 

Dagger in hand, La, the High Priestess, tow- 
ered above the helpless creature that had dared 
146 


CONDEMNED TO TORTURE AND DEATH 


to violate the sanctuary of her deity. There 
should be no torture — there should he instant 
death. No longer should the defiler of the 
temple pollute the sight of the lord god al- 
mighty. A single stroke of the heavy blade 
and then the corpse to the flaming pyre with- 
out. The knife arm stiffened ready for the 
downward plunge, and then La, the woman, 
collapsed weakly upon the body of the man she 
loved. 

She ran her hands in mute caress over his 
naked flesh ; she covered his forehead, his eyes, 
his lips with hot kisses; she covered him with 
her body as though to protect him from the 
hideous fate she had ordained for him, and 
in trembling, piteous tones she begged him for 
his love. For hours the frenzy of her passion 
possessed the burning hand-maiden of the Flam- 
ing God, until at last sleep overpowered her 
and she lasped into unconsciousness beside the 
man she had sworn to torture and to slay. And 
Tarzan, untroubled by thoughts of the future, 
slept peacefully in La’s embrace. 

At the first hint of dawn the chanting of the 
priests of Opar brought Tarzan to wakeful- 
ness. Initiated in low and subdued tones, the 
147 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


sound soon rose in volume to the open diapa- 
son of barbaric blood lust. La stirred. Her 
perfect arm pressed Tarzan closer to her — a 
smile parted her lips and then she awoke, and 
slowly the smile faded and her eyes went wide 
in horror as the significance of the death chant 
impinged upon her understanding. 

‘ i Love me, Tarzan ! ’ 1 she cried. ‘ ‘ Love me, 
and you shall be saved . 1 7 

Tarzan ’s bonds hurt him. He was suffering 
the tortures of long-restricted circulation. 
With an angry growl he rolled over with his 
back toward La. That was her answer! The 
High Priestess leaped to her feet. A hot flush 
of shame mantled her cheek and then she went 
dead white and stepped to the shelter’s 
entrance. 

‘ c Come, Priests of the Flaming God ! 9 9 she 
cried, “ and make ready the sacrifice .’ 9 

The warped things advanced and entered the 
shelter. They laid hands upon Tarzan and bore 
him forth, and as they chanted they kept time 
with their crooked bodies, swaying to and fro 
to the rhythm of their song of blood and death. 
Behind them came La, swaying too; but not 
in unison with the chanted cadence. White and 
148 


CONDEMNED TO TORTURE AND DE. 


drawn was the face of the High Priestess — 
white and drawn with unrequited love and hide- 
ous terror of the moments to come. Yet stern 
in her resolve was La. The infidel should die ! 
The scorner of her love should pay the price 
upon the fiery altar. She saw them lay the 
perfect body there upon the rough branches. 
She saw the High Priest, he to whom custom 
would unite her — bent, crooked, gnarled, 
stunted, hideous — advance with the flaming 
torch and stand awaiting her command to apply 
it to the faggots surrounding the sacrificial 
pyre. His hairy, bestial face was distorted in 
a yellow-fanged grin of anticipatory enjoy- 
ment. His hands were cupped to receive the 
life blood of the victim — the red nectar that 
at Opar would have filled the golden sacrificial 
goblets. 

La approached with upraised knife, her face 
turned toward the rising sun and upon her lips 
a prayer to the burning deity of her people. 
The High Priest looked questioningly toward 
her — the brand was burning close to his hand 
and the faggots lay temptingly near. Tarzan 
closed his eyes and awaited the end. He knew 
that he would suffer, for he recalled the faint 
149 


,«.ZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


memories of past burns 0 He knew that he 
would suffer and die; but he did not flinch. 
Death is no great adventure to the jungle bred 
who walk hand-in-hand with the grim specter 
by day and he down at his side by night through 
all the years of their lives. It is doubtful that 
the ape-man even speculated upon what came 
after death. As a matter of fact as his end 
approached, his mind was occupied by thoughts 
of the pretty pebbles he had lost, yet his every 
faculty still was open to what passed around 
him. 

He felt La lean over him and he opened his 
eyes. He saw her white, drawn face and he 
saw tears blinding her eyes. “ Tarzan, my 
Tarzan! ” she moaned, “ tell me that you love 
me — that you will return to Opar with me — 
and you shall live. Even in the face of the 
anger of my people I will save you. This last 
chance I give you. What is your answer? ” 

At the last moment the woman in La had 
triumphed over the High Priestess of a cruel 
cult. She saw upon the altar the only creature 
that ever had aroused the fires of love within 
her virgin breast; she saw the beast-faced 
fanatic who would one day be her mate, unless 
150 


CONDEMNED TO TORTURE AND DEATH 


she found another less repulsive, standing with 
the burning torch ready to ignite the pyre ; yet 
with all her mad passion for the ape-man she 
would give the word to apply the flame if Tar- 
zan’s final answer was unsatisfactory. With 
heaving bosom she leaned close above him. 
“ Yes or no?’’ she whispered. 

Through the jungle, out of the distance, came 
faintly a sound that brought a sudden light of 
hope to Tarzan’s eyes. He raised his voice 
in a weird scream that sent La back from him 
a step or two. The impatient priest grumbled 
and switched the torch from one hand to the 
other at the same time holding it closer to the 
tinder at the base of the pyre. 

‘ i Your answer!” insisted La. ‘ * What is 
your answer to the love of La of Opar? ” 
Closer came the sound that had attracted 
Tarzan’s attention and now the others heard 
it — the shrill trumpeting of an elephant. As 
La looked wide-eyed into Tarzan’s face, there 
to read her fate for happiness or heartbreak, 
she saw an expression of concern shadow his 
features. Now, for the first time, she guessed 
the meaning of Tarzan’s shrill scream — he had 
summoned Tantor, the elephant, to his rescue! 

151 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


La’s brows contracted in a savage scowl. 
‘ 1 You refuse La ! ” she cried. ‘ 6 Then die ! The 
torch!” she commanded, turning toward the 
priest. 

Tarzan looked up into her face. “ Tantor 
is coming,” he said. “ I thought that he would 
rescue me; but I know now from his voice that 
he will slay me and you and all that fall in his 
path, searching out with the cunning of Sheeta, 
the panther, those who would hide from him, for 
Tantor is mad with the madness of love . 9 9 

La knew only too well the insane ferocity 
of a bull elephant in must. She knew that Tar- 
zan had not exaggerated. She knew that the 
devil in the cunning, cruel brain of the great 
beast might send it hither and thither hunt- 
ing through the forest for those who escaped 
its first charge, or the beast might pass on with- 
out returning — no one might guess which. 

“I cannot love you, La,” said Tarzan in a 
low voice. “ I do not know why, for you are 
very beautiful. I could not go back and live 
in Opar — I who have the whole broad jungle 
for my range. No, I cannot love you but I 
cannot see you die beneath the goring tusks 
of mad Tantor. Cut my bonds before it is too 
152 


CONDEMNED TO TORTURE AND DEATH 


late. Already lie is almost upon us. Cut them 
and I may yet save you . 9 9 

A little spiral of curling smoke rose from 
one corner of the pyre — the flames licked up- 
ward, crackling. La stood there like a beauti- 
ful statue of despair gazing at Tarzan and at 
the spreading flames. In a moment they would 
reach out and grasp him. From the tangled 
forest came the sound of cracking limbs and 
crashing trunks — Tantor was coming down 
upon them, a huge Juggernaut of the jungle. 
The priests were becoming uneasy. They cast 
apprehensive glances in the direction of the 
approaching elephant and then back at La. 

“ Fly ! 99 she commanded them and then she 
stooped and cut the bonds securing her prison- 
er’s feet and hands. In an instant Tarzan was 
upon the ground. The priests screamed out 
their rage and disappointment. He with the 
torch took a menacing step toward La and 
the ape-man. “Traitor!” he shrieked at the 
woman. “ For this you too shall die! ” Rais- 
ing his bludgeon he rushed upon the High 
Priestess; but Tarzan was there before her. 
Leaping in to close quarters the ape-man seized 
the upraised weapon and wrenched it from the 
153 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


hands of the frenzied fanatic and then the 
priest closed upon him with tooth and nail. 
Seizing the stocky, stunted body in his mighty 
hands Tarzan raised the creature high above 
his head, hurling him at his fellows who were 
now gathered ready to bear down upon their 
qrstwhile captive. La stood proudly with ready 
knife behind the ape-man. No faint sign of fear 
marked her perfect brow — only haughty dis- 
dain for her priests and admiration for the 
man she loved so hopelessly filled her thoughts. 

Suddenly upon this scene burst the mad 
bull — a huge tusker, his little eyes inflamed 
with insane rage. The priests stood for an in- 
stant paralyzed with terror; but Tarzan turned 
and gathering La in his arms raced for the 
nearest tree. Tantor bore down upon him 
trumpeting shrilly. La clung with both white 
arms about the ape-man’s neck. She felt him 
leap into the air and marveled at his strength 
and his agility as, burdened with her weight, he 
swung nimbly into the lower branches of a large 
tree and quickly bore her upward beyond reach 
of the sinuous trunk of the pachyderm. 

Momentarily baffled here, the huge elephant 
wheeled and bore down upon the hapless priests 
154 


CONDEMNED TO TORTURE AND DEATH 


who had now scattered, terror-stricken, in every 
direction. The nearest he gored and threw 
high among the branches of a tree. One he 
seized in the coils of his trunk and broke upon 
a huge bole, dropping the mangled pulp to 
charge, trumpeting, after another. Two he 
trampled beneath his huge feet and by then 
the others had disappeared into the jungle. 
Now Tantor turned his attention once more to 
Tarzan for one of the symptoms of madness is 
? revulsion of affection — objects of sane love 
become the objects of insane hatred. Peculiar 
in the unwritten annals of the jungle was the 
proverbial love that had existed between the 
ape-man and the tribe of Tantor. No elephant 
in all the jungle would harm the Tarman- 
gani — the white-ape; but with the madness 
of must upon him the great bull sought to de- 
stroy his long-time play-fellow. 

Back to the tree where La and Tarzan 
perched came Tantor, the elephant. He reared 
up with his forefeet against the bole and 
reached high toward them with his long trunk; 
but Tarzan had foreseen this and clambered 
beyond the bull’s longest reach. Failure but 
tended to further enrage the mad creature, 
155 


TARZAN AMD THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


He bellowed and trumpeted and screamed until 
the earth shook to the mighty volume of his 
noise. He put his head against the tree and 
pushed and the tree bent before his mighty 
strength ; yet still it held. 

The actions of Tarzan were peculiar in the 
extreme. Had Numa, or Sabor, or Sheeta, or 
any other beast of the jungle been seeking to 
destroy him, the ape-man would have danced 
about hurling missiles and invective at his as- 
sailant. He would have insulted and taunted 
them, reviling in the jungle Billingsgate he knew 
so well; but now he sat silent out of Tantor’s 
reach and upon his handsome face was an ex- 
pression of deep sorrow and pity, for of all the 
jungle folk Tarzan loved Tantor the best. 
Could he have slain him he would not have 
thought of doing so. His one idea was to 
escape, for he knew that with the passing of 
the must Tantor would be sane again and that 
once more he might stretch at full length upon 
that mighty back and make foolish speech into 
those great, flapping ears. 

Finding that the tree would not fall to his 
pushing, Tantor was but enraged the more. He 
looked up at the two perched high above him, 
156 


CONDEMNED TO TORTURE AND DEATH 


his red-rimmed eyes blazing with insane hatred, 
and then he wound his trunk about the bole of 
the tree, spread his great feet wide apart and 
tugged to uproot the jungle giant. A huge crea- 
ture was Tantor, an enormous bull in the full 
prime of all his stupendous strength. Mightily 
he strove until presently, to Tarzan’s consterna- 
tion, the great tree gave slowly at the roots. 
The ground rose in little mounds and ridges 
about the base of the bole, the tree tilted — in 
another moment it would be uprooted and fall. 

The ape-man whirled La to his back and just 
as the tree inclined slowly in its first movement 
out of the perpendicular, before the sudden 
rush of its final collapse, he swung to the 
branches of a lesser neighbor. It was a long 
and perilous leap. La closed her eyes and 
shuddered; but when she opened them again 
she found herself safe and Tarzan whirling 
onward through the forest. Behind them the 
uprooted tree crashed heavily to the ground, 
carrying with it the lesser trees in its path and 
then Tantor, realizing that his prey had escaped 
him, set up once more his hideous trumpeting 
and followed at a rapid charge upon their trail. 


157 


CHAPTER XIV 

A PRIESTESS BUT YET A WOMAN 


T FIRST La closed her eyes and clung to 



1 jl Tarzan in terror, though she made no out- 
cry ; but presently she gained sufficient courage 
to look about her, to look down at the ground be- 
neath and even to keep her eyes open during the 
wide, perilous swings from tree to tree, and then 
there came over her a sense of safety because 
of her confidence in the perfect physical crea- 
ture in whose strength and nerve and agility 
her fate lay. Once she raised her eyes to the 
burning sun and murmured a prayer of thanks 
to her pagan god that she had not been per- 
mitted to destroy this godlike man, and her 
long lashes were wet with tears. A strange 
anomaly was La of Opar — a creature of cir- 
cumstance torn by conflicting emotions. Now 
the cruel and bloodthirsty creature of a heart- 
less god and again a melting woman filled with 
compassion and tenderness. Sometimes the in- 
carnation of jealousy and revenge and some- 


158 


A PRIESTESS BUT YET A WOMAN 


times a sobbing maiden, generous and forgiv- 
ing; at once a virgin and a wanton; but always 
— a woman. Such was La. 

She pressed her cheek close to Tarzan ’s shoul- 
der. Slowly she turned her head until her hot 
lips were pressed again his flesh. She loved 
hfm and would gladly have died for him; yet 
within an hour she had been ready to plunge 
a knife into his heart and might again within 
tii e coming hour. 

A hapless priest seeking shelter in the jun- 
gle chanced to show himself to enraged Tantor. 
T1 e great beast turned to one side, bore down 
upon the crooked, little man, snuffed him out 
and then, diverted from his course, blundered 
away tow: rd the south. In a few minutes even 
the noise of his trumpeting was lost in the dis- 
tance. 

Tarzan dropped to the ground and La slipped 
to her feet from his back. “ Call your people 
together,’ ’ said Tarzan. 

“ They will kill me,” replied La. 

“They will not kill you,” contradicted the 
ape-man. “No one will kill you while Tarzan 
of the Apes is here. Call them and we wilJ 
talk with them.” 


159 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


La raised her voice in a weird, flutelike cal ' i 
that carried far into the jungle on every side 3 * 
From near and far came answering shouts * m 
the barking tones of the Oparian priests : “ Y^ e 
come! We come! ” Again and again, La re " 
peated her summons until singly and in pa ^ rs 
the greater portion of her following approach^ 
and halted a short distance away from : ^ e 
High Priestess and her savior. They ca me 
with scowling brows and threatening mi Wh. 
When all had come Tarzan addressed them;, 

“ Your La is safe,” said the ape-man. “ F|ad 
she slain me she would now herself be dead 
and many more of you; but she spared me taat 
I might save her. Go your way with her back 
to Opar, and Tarzan will go his wpy into the 
jungle. Let there be peace always between 
Tarzan and La. What is your answer? ” 

The priests grumbled and shook their heads. 
They spoke together and La and Tarzan could 
see that they were not favorably inclined 
toward the proposition. They did not wish to 
take La back and they did wish to complete the 
sacrifice of Tarzan to the Flaming God. At 
last the ape-man became impatient. 

“You will obey the commands of 
160 


your 


A PRIESTESS BUT YET A WOMAN 


queen,’ ’ he said, “ and go back to Opar with 
her or Tarzan of the Apes will call together the 
other creatures of the jungle and slay you all. 
La saved me that I might save you and her. I 
have served you better alive than I could have 
dead. If you are not all fools you will let me 
go my way in peace and you will return to Opar 
with La. I know not where the sacred knife 
is; but you can fashion another. Had I not 
taken it from La you would have slain me and 
now your god must be glad that I took it since 
I have saved his priestess from love-mad Tan- 
tor. Will you go back to Opar with La, prom- 
ising that no harm shall befall her? ” 

The priests gathered together in a little knot 
arguing and discussing. They pounded upon 
their breasts with their fists ; they raised their 
hands and eyes to their fiery god ; they growled 
and barked among themselves until it became 
evident to Tarzan that one of their number 
was preventing the acceptance of his propo- 
sal. This was the High Priest whose heart was 
filled with jealous rage because La openly ac- 
knowledged her love for the stranger, when by 
the world customs of their cult she should have 
belonged to him. Seemingly there was to be 
161 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


no solution of the problem until another priest 
stepped forth and, raising his hand, addressed 
La. 

“ Cadj, the High Priest/’ he announced, 
“ would sacrifice you both to the Flaming God; 
but all of us except Cadj would gladly return 
to Opar with our queen.” 

“ You are many against one,” spoke up Tar- 
zan. “Why should you not have your will? 
Go your way with La to Opar and if Cadj in- 
terferes slay him.” 

The priests of Opar welcomed this sugges- 
tion with loud cries of approval. To them it 
appeared nothing short of divine inspiration. 
The influence of ages of unquestioning obe- 
dience to high priests had made it seem impos- 
sible to them to question his authority; but 
when they realized that they could force him 
to their will they were as happy as children 
with new toys. 

They rushed forward and seized Cadj. They 
talked in loud menacing tones into his ear. 
They threatened him with bludgeon and knife 
until at last he acquiesced in their demands, 
though sullenly, and then Tarzan stepped close 
before Cadj. 


162 


A PRIESTESS BUT YET A WOMAN 


“ Priest,’ ’ lie said, “ La goes back to her 
temple under the protection of her priests and 
the threat of Tarzan of the Apes that whoever 
harms her shall die. Tarzan will go again to 
Opar before the next rains and if harm has 
befallen La, woe betide Cadj, the High Priest.” 

Sullenly Cadj promised not to harm his 
queen. 

“ Protect her,” cried Tarzan to the other 
Oparians. 1 * Protect her so that when Tarzan 
comes again he will find La there to greet 
him.” 

“ La will be there to greet thee,” exclaimed 
the High Priestess, “ and La will wait, long- 
ing, always longing, until you come again. Oh, 
tell me that you will come! ” 

“Who knows?” asked the ape-man as he 
swung quickly into the trees and raced off 
toward the east. 

For a moment La stood looking after him, 
then her head drooped, a sigh escaped her 
lips and like an old woman she took up the 
march toward distant Opar. 

Through the trees raced Tarzan of the Apes 
until the darkness of night had settled upon the 
jungle, then he lay down and slept, with no 
163 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


thought beyond the morrow and with even La 
but the shadow of a memory within his con- 
sciousness. 

But a few marches to the north Lady Grey- 
stoke looked forward to the day when her 
mighty lord and master should discover the 
crime of Achmet Zek, and be speeding to res- 
cue and avenge, and even as she pictured the 
coming of John Clayton, the object of her 
thoughts squatted almost naked, beside a fallen 
log, beneath which he was searching with grimy 
fingers for a chance beetle or a luscious grub. 

Two days elapsed following the theft of the 
jewels before Tarzan gave them a thought. 
Then, as they chanced to enter his mind, he con- 
ceived a desire to play with them again, and, 
having nothing better to do than satisfy the 
first whim which possessed him, he rose and 
started across the plain from the forest in 
which he had spent the preceding day. 

Though no mark showed where the gems had 
been buried, and though the spot resembled the 
balance of an unbroken stretch several miles 
in length, where the reeds terminated at the 
edge of the meadowland, yet the ape-man moved 
164 


A PEIESTESS BUT YET A WOMAN 


with unerring precision directly to the place 
where he had hid his treasure. 

With his hunting knife he upturned the loose 
earth, beneath which the pouch should be ; but, 
though he excavated to a greater distance than 
the depth of the original hole there was no sign 
of pouch or jewels. Tarzan ’s brow clouded as 
he discovered that he had been despoiled. Little 
or no reasoning was required to convince him 
of the identity of the guilty party, and with the 
same celerity that had marked his decision to 
unearth the jewels, he set out upon the trail of 
the thief. 

Though the spoor was two days old, and 
practically obliterated in many places, Tarzan 
followed it with comparative ease. A white 
man could not have followed it twenty paces 
twelve hours after it had been made, a black 
man would have lost it within the first mile; 
but Tarzan of the Apes had been forced in child- 
hood to develop senses that an ordinary mortal 
scarce ever uses. 

We may note the garlic and whisky on the 
breath of a fellow strap hanger, or the cheap 
perfume emanating from the person of the 
wondrous lady sitting in front of us, and de- 
165 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


plore the fact of our sensitive noses; but, as a 
matter of fact, we cannot smell at all, our 
olfactory organs are practically atrophied, by 
comparison with the development of the sense 
among the beasts of the wild. 

Where a foot is placed an effluvium remains 
for a considerable time. It is beyond the range 
of our sensibilities ; but to a creature of the 
lower orders, especially to the hunters and 
the hunted, as interesting and ofttimes more 
lucid than is the printed page to us. 

Nor was Tarzan dependent alone upon his 
sense of smell. Vision and hearing had been 
brought to a marvelous state of development by 
the necessities of his early life, where survival 
itself depended almost daily upon the exercise 
of the keenest vigilance and the constant use 
of all his faculties. 

And so he followed the old trail of the Bel- 
gian through the forest and toward the north ; 
but because of the age of the trail he was con- 
strained to a far from rapid progress. The man 
he followed was two days ahead of him when 
Tarzan took up the pursuit, and each day he 
gained upon the ape-man. The latter, however, 
felt not the slightest doubt as to the outcome. 

166 


A PRIESTESS BUT YET A WOMAN 


Some day he would overhaul his quarry — he 
could bide his time in peace until that day 
dawned. Doggedly he followed the faint spoor, 
pausing by day only to kill and eat, and at night 
only to sleep and refresh himself. 

Occasionally he passed parties of savage war- 
riors; but these he gave a wide berth, for he 
was hunting with a purpose that was not to be 
distracted by the minor accidents of the trail. 

These parties were of the collecting hordes 
of the Waziri and their allies which Basuli had 
scattered his messengers broadcast to summon. 
They were marching to a common rendezvous in 
preparation for an assault upon the stronghold 
of Achmet Zek; but to Tarzan they were ene- 
mies — he retained no conscious memory of any 
friendship for the black men. 

It was night when he halted outside the pali- 
saded village of the Arab raider. Perched in 
the branches of a great tree he gazed down 
upon the life within the enclosure. To this place 
had the spoor led him. His quarry must be with- 
in ; but how was he to find him among so many 
huts? Tarzan, although cognizant of his 
mighty powers, realized also his limitations. 
He knew that he could not successfully cope 
167 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


witli great numbers in open battle. He must 
resort to the stealth and trickery of the wild 
beast, if he were to succeed. 

Sitting in the safety of his tree, munching 
upon the leg bone of Horta, the boar, Tarzan, 
waited a favorable opportunity to enter the 
village. For awhile he gnawed at the bulging, 
round ends of the large bone, splintering off 
small pieces between his strong jaws, and suck- 
ing at the delicious marrow within ; but all the 
time he cast repeated glances into the village. 
He saw white-robed figures, and half-naked 
blacks; but not once did he see one who re- 
sembled the stealer of the gems. 

Patiently he waited until the streets were 
deserted by all save the sentries at the gates, 
then he dropped lightly to the ground, circled 
to the opposite side of the village and 
approached the palisade. 

At his side hung a long, rawhide rope — a 
natural and more dependable evolution from 
the grass rope of his childhood. Loosening this, 
he spread the noose upon the ground behind 
him, and with a quick movement of his wrist 
tossed the coils over one of the sharpened pro- 
jections of the summit of the palisade. 

168 


A PRIESTESS BUT YET A WOMAN 


Drawing the noose taut, he tested the solidity 
of its hold. Satisfied, the ape-man ran nimbly 
up the vertical wall, aided by the rope which he 
clutched in both hands. Once at the top it re- 
quired but a moment to gather the dangling 
rope once more into its coils, make it fast again 
at his waist, take a quick glance downward 
within the palisade, and, assured that no one 
lurked directly beneath him, drop softly to the 
ground. 

Now he was within the village. Before him 
stretched a series of tents and native huts. The 
business of exploring each of them would be 
fraught with danger; but danger was only a 
natural factor of each day’s life — it never ap- 
palled Tarzan. The chances appealed to him — 
the chances of life and death, with his prowess 
and his faculties pitted against those of a 
worthy antagonist. 

It was not necessary that he enter each habi- 
tation — through a door, a window or an open 
chink, his nose told him whether or no his prey 
lay within. For some time he found one dis- 
appointment following upon the heels of an- 
other in quick succession. No spoor of the Bel- 
gian was discernible. But at last he came to a 
169 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


tent where the smell of the thief was strong. 
Tarzan listened, his ear close to the canvas 
at the rear, but no sound came from within. 

At last he cut one of the pin ropes, raised 
the bottom of the canvas, and intruded his 
head within the interior. All was quiet and 
dark. Tarzan crawled cautiously within — the 
scent of the Belgian was strong ; but it was not 
live scent. Even before he had examined the 
interior minutely, Tarzan knew that no one was 
within it. 

In one corner he found a pile of blankets and 
clothing scattered about ; but no pouch of pretty 
pebbles. A careful examination of the balance 
of the tent revealed nothing more, at least noth- 
ing to indicate the presence of the jewels; but 
at the side where the blankets and clothing lay, 
the ape-man discovered that the tent wall had 
been loosened at the bottom, and presently he 
sensed that the Belgian had recently passed out 
of the tent by this avenue. 

Tarzan was not long in following the way 
that his prey had fled. The spoor led always 
in the shadow and at the rear of the huts and 
tents of the village — it was quite evident to 
Tarzan that the Belgian had gone alone and se- 
170 


A PRIESTESS BUT YET A WOMAN 


cretly upon his mission. Evidently he feared 
the inhabitants of the village, or at least his 
work had been of such a nature that he dared 
not risk detection. 

At the back of a native hut the spoor led 
through a small hole recently cut in the brush 
wall and into the dark interior beyond. Fear- 
lessly, Tarzan followed the trail. On hands and 
knees he crawled through the small aperture. 
Within the hut his nostrils were assailed by 
many odors ; but clear and distinct among them 
was one that half aroused a latent memory of 
the past — it was the faint and delicate odor of 
a woman. With the cognizance of it there rose 
in the breast of the ape-man a strange uneasi- 
ness — the result of an irresistible force which 
he was destined to become acquainted with 
anew — the instinct which draws the male to his 
mate. 

In the same hut was the scent spoor of the 
Belgian, too, and as both these assailed the nos- 
trils of the ape-man, mingling one with the 
other, a jealous rage leaped and burned within 
him, though his memory held before the mirror 
of recollection no image of the she to which he 
had attached his desire. 

171 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


Like the tent he had investigated, the hut, 
too, was empty, and after satisfying himself 
that his stolen pouch was secreted nowhere 
within, he left, as he had entered, by the hole 
in the rear wall. 

Here he took up the spoor of the Belgian, fol- 
lowed it across the clearing, over the palisade, 
and out into the dark jungle beyondo 


m 


CHAPTER XV 


THE FLIGHT OF WERPER 


FTER Werper had arranged the dummy in 



1 1. his bed, and sneaked out into the darkness 
of the village beneath the rear wall of his tent, 
he had gone directly to the hut in which Jane 
Clayton was held captive. 

Before the doorway squatted a black sentry. 
Werper approached him boldly, spoke a few 
words in his ear, handed him a package of to- 
bacco, and passed into the hut. The black 
grinned and winked as the European disap- 
peared within the darkness of the interior. 

The Belgian, being one of Achmet Zek’s prin- 
cipal lieutenants, might naturally go where he 
wished within or without the village, and so the 
sentry had not questioned his right to enter the 
hut with the white, woman prisoner. 

Within, Werper called in French and in a low 
whisper: “Lady Greystoke! It is I, M. Fre- 
coult. Where are you?” But there was no 
response. Hastily the man felt around the in- 


173 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


terior, groping blindly through the darkness 
with outstretched hands. There was no one 
within ! 

Werper’s astonishment surpassed words. 
He was on the point of stepping without to ques- 
tion the sentry, when his eyes, becoming ac- 
customed to the dark, discovered a blotch of 
lesser blackness near the base of the rear wall 
of the hut. Examination revealed the fact that 
the blotch was an opening cut in the wall. It 
was large enough to permit the passage of his 
body, and, assured as he was, that Lady Grey- 
stoke had passed out through the aperture in 
an attempt to escape the village, he lost no time 
in availing himself of the same avenue; but 
neither did he lose time in a fruitless search for 
Jane Clayton. 

His own life depended upon the chance of his 
eluding, or outdistancing Achmet Zek, when 
that worthy should have discovered that he had 
escaped. His original plan had contemplated 
connivance in the escape of Lady Greystoke 
for two very good and sufficient reasons. The 
first was that by saving her he would win the 
gratitude of the English, and thus lessen the 
chance of his extradition should his identity and 
174 


THE FLIGHT OF WERPER 


his crime against his superior officer be charged 
against him. 

The second reason was based upon the fact 
that only one direction of escape was safely 
open to him. He could not travel to the west 
because of the Belgian possessions which lay 
between him and the Atlantic. The south was 
closed to him by the feared presence of the sav- 
age ape-man he had robbed. To the north lay 
the friends and allies of Achmet Zek. Only 
toward the east, through British East Africa, 
lay reasonable assurance of freedom. 

Accompanied by a titled Englishwoman whom 
he had rescued from a frightful fate, and 
his identity vouched for by her as that of a 
Frenchman by the name of Frecoult, he had 
looked forward, and not without reason, to the 
active assistance of the British from the mo- 
ment that he came in contact with their first 
outpost. 

But now that Lady Greystoke had disap- 
peared, though he still looked toward the east 
for hope, his chances were lessened, and an- 
other, subsidiary design completely dashed. 
From the moment that he had first laid eves 
upon Jane Clayton he had nursed within his 
175 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


breast a secret passion for the beautiful Ameri- 
can wife of the English lord, and when Achmet 
Zek’s discovery of the jewels had necessitated 
flight, the Belgian had dreamed, in his plan- 
ning, of a future in which he might convince 
Lady Greystoke that her husband was dead, 
and by playing upon her gratitude win her for 
himself. 

At that part of the village farthest from 
the gates, Werper discovered that two or three 
long poles, taken from a nearby pile which had 
been collected for the construction of huts, had 
been leaned against the top of the palisade* 
forming a precarious, though not impossible 
avenue of escape. 

Rightly, he inferred that thus had Lady Grey- 
stoke found the means to scale the wall, nor did 
he lose even a moment in following her lead. 
Once in the jungle he struck out directly east- 
ward. 

A few miles south of him, Jane Clayton lay 
panting among the branches of a tree in which 
she had taken refuge from a prowling and hun- 
gry lioness. 

Her escape from the village had been much 
easier than she had anticipated. The knifc 
176 


THE FLIGHT OF WERPER 


which she had used to cut her way through the 
brush wall of the hut to freedom, she had found 
sticking in the wall of her prison, doubtless left 
there by accident when a former tenant had 
vacated the premises. 

To cross the rear of the village, keeping al- 
ways in the densest shadows, had required but 
a few moments, and the fortunate circumstance 
of the discovery of the hut poles lying so near 
the palisade had solved for her the problem of 
the passage of the high wall. 

For an hour she had followed the old game 
trail toward the south, until there fell upon her 
trained hearing the stealthy padding of a stalk- 
ing beast behind her. The nearest tree gave 
her instant sanctuary, for she was too wise in 
the ways of the jungle to chance her safety for 
a moment after discovering that she was being 
hunted. 

Werper, with better success, traveled slowly 
onward until dawn, when, to his chagrin, he 
discovered a mounted Arab upon his trail. It 
was one of Achmet Zek’s minions, many of 
whom were scattered in all directions through 
the forest, searching for the fugitive Belgian. 

Jane Clayton’s escape had not yet been dis- 
177 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


covered when Achmet Zek and his searchers 
set forth to overhaul Werper. The only man 
who had seen the Belgian after his departure 
from his tent was the black sentry before the 
doorway of Lady Greystoke’s prison hut, and 
he had been silenced by the discovery of the 
dead body of the man who had relieved him, 
the sentry that Mugambi had dispatched. 

The bribe taker naturally inferred that Wer- 
per had slain his fellow and dared not admit 
that he had permitted him to enter the hut, 
fearing as he did, the anger of Achmet Zek. 
So, as chance directed that he should be the 
one to discover the body of the sentry when the 
first alarm had been given following Achmet 
Zek’s discovery that Werper had outwitted him, 
the crafty black had dragged the dead body to 
the interior of a nearby tent, and himself re- 
sumed his station before the doorway of the 
hut in which he still believed the woman to be. 

With the discovery of the Arab close behind 
him, the Belgian hid in the foliage of a leafy 
bush. Here the trail ran straight for a consid- 
erable distance, and down the shady forest aisle, 
beneath the overarching branches of the trees, 
rode the white-robed figure of the pursuer. 

178 


THE FLIGHT OF WEEPER 


Nearer and nearer lie came. Werper 
crouched closer to the ground behind the leaves 
of his hiding place. Across the trail a vine 
moved. Werper ’s eyes instantly centered upon 
the spot. There was no wind to stir the foliage 
in the depths of the jungle. Again the vine 
moved. In the mind of the Belgian only the 
presence of a sinister and malevolent force 
could account for the phenomenon. 

The man’s eyes bored steadily into the screen 
of leaves upon the opposite side of the trail. 
Gradually a form took shape beyond them — a 
tawny form, grim and terrible, with yellow- 
green eyes glaring fearsomely across the nar- 
row trail straight into his. 

Werper could have screamed in fright, but 
up the trail was coming the messenger of an- 
other death, equally sure and no less terrible. 
He remained silent, almost paralyzed by fear. 
The Arab approached. Across the trail from 
Werper the lion crouched for the spring, when 
suddenly his attention was attracted toward the 
horseman. 

The Belgian saw the massive head turn in 
the direction of the raider and his heart all but 
ceased its beating as he waited the result of 
179 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


this interruption. At a walk the horseman ap- 
proached. Would the nervous animal he rode 
take fright at the odor of the carnivore, and, 
bolting, leave Werper still to the mercies of the 
king of beasts ? 

But he seemed unmindful of the near pres- 
ence of the great cat. On he came, his neck 
arched, champing at the bit between his teeth. 
The Belgian turned his eyes again toward the 
lion. The beast’s whole attention now seemed 
riveted upon the horseman. They were abreast 
the lion now, and still the brute did not spring. 
Could he be but waiting for them to pass be- 
fore returning his attenton to the original prey? 
Werper shuddered and half rose. At the same 
instant the lion sprang from his place of con- 
cealment, full upon the mounted man. The 
horse, with a shrill neigh of terror, shrank side- 
ways almost upon the Belgian, the lion dragged 
the helpless Arab from his saddle, and the horse 
leaped back into the trail and fled away toward 
the west. 

But he did not flee alone. As the frightened 
beast had pressed in upon him, Werper had not 
been slow to note the quickly emptied saddle 
and the opportunity it presented. Scarcely had 
180 


THE FLIGHT OF WERPER 


the lion dragged the Arab down from one side, 
than the Belgian, seizing the pommel of the 
saddle and the horse’s mane, leaped upon the 
horse’s back from the other. 

A half hour later a naked giant, swinging 
easily through the lower branches of the trees, 
paused, and with raised head, and dilating nos- 
trils sniffed the morning air. The smell of 
blood fell strong upon his sense, and mingled 
with it was the scent of Numa, the lion. The 
giant cocked his head upon one side and lis- 
tened. 

From a short distance up the trail came the 
unmistakable noises of the greedy feeding of 
a lion. The crunching of bones, the gulping 
of great pieces, the contented growling, all at- 
tested the nearness of the king at table. 

Tarzan approached the spot, still keeping to 
the branches of the trees. He made no effort 
to conceal his approach, and presently he had 
evidence that Numa had heard him, from the 
ominous, rumbling warning that broke from a 
thicket beside the trail. 

Halting upon a low branch just above the 
lion Tarzan looked down upon the grisly scene. 
Could this unrecognizable thing be the man he 
181 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


had been trailing? The ape-man wondered. 
From time to time he had descended to the 
trail and verified his judgment by the evidence 
of his scent that the Belgian had followed this 
game trail toward the east. 

Now he proceeded beyond the lion and his 
feast, again descended and examined the ground 
with his nose. There was no scent spoor here 
of the man he had been trailing. Tarzan re- 
turned to the tree. With keen eyes he searched 
the ground about the mutilated corpse for a 
sign of the missing pouch of pretty pebbles ; bnt 
naught could he see of it. 

He scolded Nnma and tried to drive the great 
beast away; but only angry growls rewarded 
his efforts. He tore small branches from a 
nearby limb and hurled them at his ancient en- 
emy. Numa looked up with bared fangs, grin- 
ning hideously, but he did not rise from his 
Mil. 

Then Tarzan fitted an arrow to his bow, and 
drawing the slim shaft far back let drive with 
all the force of the tough wood that only he 
could bend. As the arrow sank deeply into his 
side, Numa leaped to his feet with a roar of min- 
gled rage and pain. He leaped futilely at the 
182 


THE FLIGHT OF WERPER 


grinning ape-man, tore at the protruding end 
of the shaft, and then, springing into the trail, 
paced hack and forth beneath his tormentor. 
Again Tarzan loosed a swift bolt. This time 
the missile, aimed with care, lodged in the lion’s 
spine. The great creature halted in its tracks, 
and lurched awkwardly forward upon its face, 
paralyzed. 

Tarzan dropped to the trail, ran quickly to 
the beast’s side, and drove his spear deep into 
the fierce heart, then after recovering his ar- 
rows turned his attention to the mutilated re- 
mains of the animal’s prey in the nearby 
thicket. 

The face was gone. The Arab garments 
aroused no doubt as to the man’s identity, since 
he had trailed him into the Arab camp and out 
again, where he might easily have acquired the 
apparel. So sure was Tarzan that the body 
was that of he who had robbed him that he 
made no effort to verify his deductions by scent 
among the conglomerate odors of the great 
carnivore and the fresh blood of the victim. 

He confined his attentions to a careful search 
for the pouch, but nowhere upon or about the 
corpse was any sign of the missing article or 
183 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


its contents. The ape-man was disappointed — 
possibly not so much because of the loss of the 
colored pebbles as with Numa for robbing him 
of the pleasures of revenge. 

Wondering what could have become of his 
possessions, the ape-man turned slowly back 
along the trail in the direction from which he 
had come. In his mind he revolved a plan to 
enter and search the Arab camp, after darkness 
had again fallen. Taking to the trees, he moved 
directly south in search of prey, that he might 
satisfy his hunger before midday, and then lie 
up for the afternoon in some spot far from the 
camp, where he might sleep without fear of dis- 
covery until it came time to prosecute his de- 
sign. 

Scarcely had he quitted the trail when a tall, 
black warrior, moving at a dogged trot, passed 
toward the east. It was Mugambi, searching 
for his mistress. He continued along the trail, 
halting to examine the body of the dead lion* 
An expression of puzzlement crossed his fea- 
tures as he bent to search for the wounds which 
had caused the death of the jungle lord. Tarzan 
had removed his arrows, but to Mugambi the 
proof of death was as strong as though both 
184 


THE FLIGHT OF WEEPER 


the lighter missiles and the spear still protruded 
from the carcass. 

The black looked furtively about him. The 
body was still warm, and from this fact he rea- 
soned that the killer was close at hand, yet no 
sign of living man appeared. Mugambi shook 
his head, and continued along the trail, but with 
redoubled caution. 

All day he traveled, stopping occasionally to 
call aloud the single word, “ Lady,” in the hope 
that at last she might hear and respond; but 
in the end his loyal devotion brought him to 
disaster. 

From the northeast, for several months, 
Abdul Mourak, in command of a detachment 
of Abyssinian soldiers, had been assiduously 
searching for the Arab raider, Achmet Zek, who, 
six months previously, had affronted the majes- 
ty of Abdul Mourak ’s emperor by conducting a 
slave raid within the boundaries of Menelek’s 
domain. 

And now it happened that Abdul Mourak had 
halted for a short rest at noon upon this very 
day and along the same trail that Werper and 
Mugambi were following toward the east. 

It was shortly after the soldiers had dismount- 
185 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


ed that the Belgian, unaware of their presence, 
rode his tired mount almost into their midst, 
before he had discovered them. Instantly he 
was surrounded, and a volley of questions 
hurled at him, as he was pulled from his horse 
and led toward the presence of the commander. 

Falling back upon his European nationality, 
Werper assured Abdul Mourak that he was a 
Frenchman, hunting in Africa, and that he hud 
been attacked by strangers, his safari killed or 
scattered, and himself escaping only by a 
miracle. 

From a chance remark of the Abyssinian, 
Werper discovered the purpose of the expedi- 
tion, and when he realized that these men were 
the enemies of Achmet Zek, he took heart, and 
immediately blamed his predicament upon the 
Arab. 

Lest, however, he might again fall into the 
hands of the raider, he discouraged Abdul 
Mourak in the further prosecution of his pur- 
suit, assuring the Abyssinian that Achmet Zek 
commanded a large and dangerous force, and 
also that he was marching rapidly toward the 
south. 

Convinced that it would take a long time to 
186 


THE FLIGHT OF WEEPER 


overhaul the raider, and that the chances of 
engagement made the outcome extremely ques- 
tionable, Mourak, none too unwillingly, aban- 
doned his plan and gave the necessary orders 
for his command to pitch camp where they were, 
preparatory to taking up the return march 
toward Abyssinia the following morning. 

It was late in the afternoon that the atten- 
tion of the camp was attracted toward the west 
by the sound of a powerful voice calling a single 
word, repeated several times : ‘ 1 Lady ! Lady ! 
Lady!” 

True to their instincts of precaution, a num- 
ber of Abyssinians, acting under orders from 
Abdul Mourak, advanced stealthily through the 
jungle toward the author of the call, 

A half hour later they returned, dragging 
Mugambi among them. The first person the 
big black’s eyes fell upon as he was hustled into 
the presence of the Abyssinian officer, was M. 
Jules Frecoult, the Frenchman who had been 
the guest of his master and whom he last had 
seen entering the village of Achmet Zek under 
circumstances which pointed his familiarity and 
friendship for the raiders. 

Between the disasters that had befallen his 
187 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


master and his master’s house, and the French- 
man, Mugambi saw a sinister relationship, 
which kept him from recalling to Werper’s at- 
tention the identity which the latter evidently 
failed to recognize. 

Pleading that he was but a harmless hunter 
from a tribe farther south, Mugambi begged to 
be allowed to go c pon his way ; but Abdul Mou- 
rak, admiring the warrior’s splendid physique, 
decided to take him back to Adis Abeba and 
present him to Menelek. A few moments later 
Mugambi and Werper were marched away un- 
der guard, and the Belgian learned for the first 
time, that he too was a prisoner rather than a 
guest. In vain he protested against such treat- 
ment, until a strapping soldier struck him 
across the mouth and threatened to shoot him 
if he did not desist. 

Mugambi took the matter less to heart, for 
he had not the slightest doubt but that during 
the course of the journey he would find ample 
opportunity to elude the vigilance of his guards 
and make good his escape. With this idea al- 
ways uppermost in his mind, he courted the 
good opinion of the Abyssinians, asked them 
many questions about their emperor and their 
188 


THE FLIGHT OF WEEPER 


country, and evinced a growing desire to reach 
their destination, that he might enjoy all the 
good things which they assured him the city 
of Adis Abeba contained. Thus he disarmed 
their suspicions, and each day found a slight 
relaxation of their watchfulness over him. 

By taking advantage of the fact that he and 
Werper always were kept together, Mugambi 
sought to learn what the other knew of the 
whereabouts of Tarzan, or the authorship of 
the raid upon the bungalow, as well as the fate 
of Lady Greystoke ; but as he was confined to 
the accidents of conversation for this informa- 
tion, not daring to acquaint Werper with his 
true identity, and as Werper was equally anx- 
ious to conceal from the world his part in the 
destruction of his host’s home and happiness, 
Mugambi learned nothing — at least in this 
way. 

But there came a time when he learned a 
very surprising thing, by accident. 

The party had camped early in the after- 
noon of a sultry day, upon the banks of a clear 
and beautiful stream. The bottom of the river 
was gravelly, there was no indication of croco- 
diles, those menaces to promiscuous bathing in 
189 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


the rivers of certain portions of the dark conth 
nent, and so the Abyssinians took advantage of 
the opportunity to perform long-deferred, and 
much needed, ablutions. 

As Werper, who, with Mugambi, had been 
given permission to enter the water, removed 
his clothing, the black noted the care with which 
he unfastened something which circled his waist, 
and which he took off with his shirt, keeping the 
latter always around and concealing the object 
of his suspicious solicitude. 

It was this very carefulness which attracted 
the black’s attention to the thing, arousing a 
natural curiosity in the warrior’s mind, and so 
it chanced that when the Belgian, in the ner- 
vousness of overcaution, fumbled the hidden ar- 
ticle and dropped it, Mugambi saw it as it fell 
upon the ground, spilling a portion of its con- 
tents on the sward. 

Now Mugambi had been to London with his 
master. He was not the unsophisticated sav- 
age that his apparel proclaimed him. He had 
mingled with the cosmopolitan hordes of the 
greatest city in the world; he had visited mu- 
seums and inspected shop windows; and, be- 
sides, he was a shrewd and intelligent man. 

190 


THE FLIGHT OF WEEPER 


The instant that the jewels of Opar rolled, 
scintillating, before his astonished eyes, he rec- 
ognized them for what they were; but he recog- 
nized something else, too, that interested him 
far more deeply than the value of the stones. A 
thousand times he had seen the leathern pouch 
which dangled at his master’s side, when Tar- 
zan of the Apes had, in a spirit of play and ad- 
venture, elected to return for a few hours to 
the primitive manners and customs of his boy- 
hood, and surrounded by his naked warriors 
hunt the lion and the leopard, the buffalo and 
the elephant after the manner he loved best. 

Werper saw that Mugambi had seen the 
pouch and the stones. Hastily he gathered up 
the precious gems and returned them to their 
container, while Mugambi, assuming an air of 
indifference, strolled down to the river for his 
bath. 

The following morning Abdul Mourak was 
enraged and chagrined to discover that his 
huge, black prisoner had escaped during the 
night, while Werper was terrified for the same 
reason, until his trembling fingers discovered 
the pouch still in its place beneath his shirt, 
and within it the hard outlines of its contents. 

191 


CHAPTER XVI 


TAEZAN AGAIN LEADS THE MAN GANI 

3HMET ZEK with two of his followers had 



1 circled far to the south to intercept the 
flight of his deserting lieutenant, Werper. Oth- 
ers had spread out in various directions, so that 
a vast circle had been formed by them during 
the night, and now they were beating in toward 
the center. 

Achmet and the two with him halted for a 
short rest just before noon. They squatted 
beneath the trees upon the southern edge of a 
clearing. The chief of the raiders was in ill 
humor. To have been outwitted by an unbe- 
liever was bad enough ; but to have, at the same 
time, lost the jewels upon which he had set his 
avaricious heart was altogether too much — Al- 
lah must, indeed, be angry with his servant. 

Well, he still had the woman. She would 
bring a fair price in the north, and there was, 
too, the buried treasure beside the ruins of the 
Englishman’s house. 


192 


TABZAN AGAIN LEADS THE MANGANI 


A slight noise in the jungle upon the opposite 
side of the clearing brought Achmet Zek to 
immediate and alert attention. He gathered 
his rifle in readiness for instant use, at the 
same time motioning his followers to silence 
and concealment. Crouching behind bushes the 
three waited, their eyes fastened upon the far 
side of the open space. 

Presently the foliage parted and a woman’s 
face appeared, glancing fearfully from side to 
side. A moment later, evidently satisfied that 
no immediate danger lurked before her, she 
stepped out into the clearing in full view of 
the Arab. 

Achmet Zek caught his breath with a mut- 
tered exclamation of incredulity and an impre- 
cation. The woman was the prisoner he had 
thought safely guarded at his camp ! 

Apparently she was alone, but Achmet Zek 
waited that he might make sure of it before 
seizing her. Slowly Jane Clayton started 
across the clearing. Twice already since she 
had quitted the village of the raiders had she 
barely escaped the fangs of carnivora, and once 
she had almost stumbled into the path of one 
of the searchers. Though she was almost de- 
193 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


spairing of ever reaching safety she still was 
determined to fight on, until death or success 
terminated her endeavors. 

As the Arabs watched her from the safety 
of their concealment, and Achmet Zek noted 
with satisfaction that she was walking directly 
into his clutches, another pair of eyes looked 
down upon the entire scene from the foliage of 
an adjacent tree. 

Puzzled, troubled eyes they were, for all their 
gray and savage glint, for their owner was 
struggling with an intangible suggestion of the 
familiarity of the face and figure of the woman 
below him. 

A sudden crashing of the bushes at the point 
from which Jane Clayton had emerged into the 
clearing brought her to a sudden stop and at- 
tracted the attention of the Arabs and the 
watcher in the tree to the same point. 

The woman wheeled about to see what new 
danger menaced her from behind, and as she 
did so a great, anthropoid ape waddled into 
view. Behind him came another and another; 
but Lady Greystoke did not wait to learn how 
many more of the hideous creatures were so 
close upon her trail. 


194 


TARZAN AGAIN LEADS THE MANGANI 


With a smothered scream she rushed toward 
the opposite jungle, and as she reached the 
bushes there, Achmet Zek and his two hench- 
men rose up and seized her. At the same in- 
stant a naked, brown giant dropped from the 
branches of a tree at the right of the clear- 
ing. 

Turning toward the astonished apes he gave 
voice to a short volley of low gutturals, and 
without waiting to note the effect of his words 
upon them, wheeled and charged for the Arabs. 

Achmet Zek was dragging Jane Clayton 
toward his tethered horse. His two men were 
hastily unfastening all three mounts. The 
woman, struggling to escape the Arab, turned 
and saw the ape-man running toward her. A 
glad light of hope illumined her face. 

“ John! ” she cried. “ Thank God that you 
have come in time.” 

Behind Tarzan came the great apes, wonder- 
ing, but obedient to his summons. The Arabs 
saw that they would not have time to mount and 
make their escape before the beasts and the 
man were upon them. Achmet Zek recognized 
the latter as the redoubtable enemy of such as 
he, and he saw too in the circumstance an op- 
195 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


portunity to rid himself forever of the menace 
of the ape-man’s presence. 

Calling to his men to follow his example he 
raised his rifle and leveled it upon the charg- 
ing giant. His followers, acting with no less 
alacrity than himself, fired almost simulta- 
neously, and with the reports of the rifles, Tar- 
zan of the Apes and two of his hairy henchmen 
pitched forward among the jungle grasses. 

The noise of the rifle shots brought the bal- 
ance of the apes to a wondering pause, and, tak- 
ing advantage of their momentary distraction, 
Achmet Zek and his fellows leaped to their 
horses’ backs and galloped away with the now 
hopeless and grief-stricken woman. 

Back to the village they rode, and once again 
Lady Greystoke found herself incarcerated in 
the filthy, little hut from which she had thought 
to have escaped for good. But this time she 
was not only guarded by an additional sentry „ 
but bound as well. 

Singly and in twos the searchers who had 
ridden out with Achmet Zek upon the trail of 
the Belgian, returned empty handed. With the 
report of each the raider’s rage and chagrin 
increased, until he was in such a transport of 
196 


TARZAN AGAIN LEADS THE MANGANI 


ferocious anger that none dared approach him. 
Threatening and cursing, Achmet Zek paced 
up and down the floor of his silken tent; but 
his temper served him naught — Werper was 
gone and with him the fortune in scintillating 
gems which had aroused the cupidity of his 
chief and placed the sentence of death upon the 
head of the lieutenant. 

With the escape of the Arabs the great apes 
had turned their attention to their fallen com- 
rades. One was dead, but another and the 
great white ape still breathed. The hairy mon- 
sters gathered about these two, grumbling and 
muttering after the fashion of their kind. 

Tarzan was the first to regain consciousness,. 
Sitting up, he looked about him. Blood was 
flowing from a wound in his shoulder. The 
shock had thrown him down and dazed him ; but 
he was far from dead. Rising slowly to his 
feet he let his eyes wander toward the spot 
where last he had seen the she, who had aroused 
within his savage breast such strange emotions. 

“ Where is she? ” he asked. 

* ‘The Tarmangani took her away,” replied 
one of the apes. “ Who are you who speak the 
language of the Mangani? ” 

197 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


“I am Tarzan,” replied the ape-man; 
“ mighty hunter, greatest of fighters. When I 
roar, the jungle is silent and trembles with ter- 
ror. I am Tarzan of the Apes. I have been 
away ; but now I have come back to my people . 1 7 

“ Yes,” spoke up an old ape, “ he is Tarzan. 
I know him. It is well that he has come back. 
Now we shall have good hunting.” 

The other apes came closer and sniffed at the 
ape-man. Tarzan stood very still, his fangs 
half bared, and his muscles tense and ready for 
action ; but there was none there to question his 
right to be with them, and presently, the inspec- 
tion satisfactorily concluded, the apes again re- 
turned their attention to the other survivor. 

He too was but slightly wounded, a bullet, 
grazing his skull, having stunned him, so that 
when he regained consciousness he was appar- 
ently as fit as ever. 

The apes told Tarzan that they had been trav- 
eling toward the east when the scent spoor of 
the she had attracted them and they had stalked 
her. Now they wished to continue upon their in- 
terrupted march; but Tarzan preferred to fol- 
low the Arabs and take the woman from them. 
After a considerable argument it was decided 
198 


TARZAN AGAIN LEADS THE MANGANI 


that they should first hunt toward the east for 
a few days and then return and search for the 
Arabs, and as time is of little moment to the 
ape folk, Tarzan acceded to their demands, he, 
himself, having reverted to a mental state but 
little superior to their own. 

Another circumstance which decided him to 
postpone pursuit of the Arabs was the painful- 
ness of his wound. It would be better to wait 
until that had healed before he pitted himself 
again against the guns of the Tarmangani. 

And so, as Jane Clayton was pushed into her 
prison hut and her hands and feet securely 
bound, her natural protector roamed off toward 
the east in company with a score of hairy mon- 
sters, with whom he rubbed shoulders as fa- 
miliarly as a few months before he had min- 
gled with his immaculate fellow-members of one 
of London’s most select and exclusive clubs. 

But all the time there lurked in the back of 
his injured brain a troublesome conviction that 
he had no business where he was — that he 
should be, for some unaccountable reason, else- 
where and among another sort of creature. 
Also, there was the compelling urge to be upon 
the scent of the Arabs, undertaking the rescue 
199 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


of the woman who had appealed so strongly to 
his savage sentiments; though the thought- 
word which naturally occurred to him in the 
contemplation of the venture, was i i capture, 7 ’ 
rather than “ rescue .’ 9 

To him she was as any other jungle she, and 
he had set his heart upon her as his mate. For 
an instant, as he had approached closer to her 
in the clearing where the Arabs had seized her, 
the subtle aroma which had first aroused his 
desires in the hut that had imprisoned her had 
fallen upon his nostrils, and told him that he 
had found the creature for whom he had de- 
veloped so sudden and inexplicable a passion. 

The matter of the pouch of jewels also oc- 
cupied his thoughts to some extent, so that he 
found a double urge for his return to the camp 
of the raiders. He would obtain possession of 
both his pretty pebbles and the she. Then he 
would return to the great apes with his new 
mate and his baubles, and leading his hairy 
companions into a far wilderness beyond the 
ken of man, live out his life, hunting and bat- 
tling among the lower orders after the only 
manner which he now recollected. 

He spoke to his fellow-apes upon the mat- 
200 


TARZAN AGAIN LEADS THE MANGANI 


ter, in an attempt to persuade them to accom- 
pany him; hut all except Taglat and Chulk 
refused. The latter was young and strong, 
endowed with a greater intelligence than his 
fellows, and therefore the possessor of better 
developed powers of imagination. To him the 
expedition savored of adventure, and so ap- 
pealed, strongly. With Taglat there was an- 
other incentive — a secret and sinister incen- 
tive, which, had Tarzan of the Apes had knowl- 
edge of it, would have sent him at the others 
throat in jealous rage. 

Taglat was no longer young; but he was still 
a formidable beast, mightily muscled, cruel, and, 
because of his greater experience, crafty and 
cunning. Too, he was of giant proportions, the 
very weight of his huge bulk serving ofttimes 
to discount in his favor the superior agility of 
a younger antagonist. 

He was of a morose and sullen disposition 
that marked him even among his frowning fel- 
lows, where such characteristics are the rule 
rather than the exception, and, though Tarzan 
did not guess it, he hated the ape-man with a 
ferocity that he was able to hide only because 
the dominant spirit of the nobler creature had 
201 


TAEZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAE 


inspired within him a species of dread which 
was as powerful as it was inexplicable to him. 

These two, then, were to be Tarzan ’s com- 
panions upon his return to the village of Ach- 
met Zek. As they set off, the balance of the 
tribe vouchsafed them but a parting stare, and 
then resumed the serious business of feeding. 

Tarzan found difficulty in keeping the 
minds of his fellows set upon the purpose of 
their adventure, for the mind of an ape lacks 
the power of long-sustained concentration. To 
set out upon a long journey, with a definite des- 
tination in view, is one thing, to remember that 
purpose and keep it uppermost in one’s mind 
continually is quite another. There are so 
many things to distract one’s attention along 
the way. 

Chulk was, at first, for rushing rapidly ahead 
as though the village of the raiders lay but an 
hour’s march before them instead of several 
days; but within a few minutes a fallen tree 
attracted his attention with its suggestion of 
rich and succulent forage beneath, and when 
Tarzan, missing him, returned in search, he 
found Chulk squatting beside the rotting bole, 
from beneath which he was assiduously en- 
202 


TARZAN AGAIN LEADS THE MANGANI 


gaged in digging out the grubs and beetles, 
whose kind form a considerable proportion of 
the diet of the apes. 

Unless Tarzan desired to fight there was 
nothing to do but wait until Chulk had ex- 
hausted the storehouse, and this he did, only 
to discover that Taglat was now missing. After 
a considerable search, he found that worthy 
gentleman contemplating the sufferings of an 
injured rodent he had pounced upon. He would 
sit in apparent indifference, gazing in another 
direction, while the crippled creature wriggled 
slowly and painfully away from him, and then, 
just as his victim felt assured of escape, he 
would reach out a giant palm and slam it down 
upon the fugitive. Again and again he re- 
peated this operation, until, tiring of the sport, 
he ended the sufferings of his plaything by de- 
vouring it. 

Such were the exasperating causes of de- 
lay which retarded Tarzan ’s return journey 
toward the village of Achmet Zek ; but the ape- 
man was patient, for in his mind was a plan 
which necessitated the presence of Chulk and 
Taglat when he should have arrived at his des- 
tination. 


203 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


It was not always an easy thing to maintain 
in the vacillating minds of the anthropoids a 
sustained interest in their venture. Chulk was 
wearying of the continued marching and the in- 
frequency and short duration of the rests. He 
would gladly have abandoned this search for 
adventure had not Tarzan continually filled 
his mind with alluring pictures of the great 
stores of food which were to be found in the 
village of the Tarmangani. 

Taglat nursed his secret purpose to better 
advantage than might have been expected of 
an ape, yet there were times when he, too, 
would have abandoned the adventure had not 
Tarzan cajoled him on. 

It was mid-afternoon of a sultry, tropical 
day when the keen senses of the three warned 
them of the proximity of the Arab camp. 
Stealthily they approached, keeping to the 
dense tangle of growing things which made con- 
cealment easy to their uncanny jungle craft. 

First came the giant ape-man, his smooth, 
brown skin glistening with the sweat of exer- 
tion in the close, hot confines of the jungle. Be- 
hind him crept Chulk and Taglat, grotesque and 
shaggy caricatures of their godlike leader. 

204 


TARZAN AGAIN LEADS THE MANGANI 


Silently they made their way to the edge of 
the clearing which snrronnded the palisade, and 
here they clambered into the lower branches of 
a large tree overlooking the village occupied by 
the enemy, the better to spy upon his goings 
and comings. 

. A horseman, white burnoosed, rode out 
through the gateway of the village. Tarzan, 
whispering to Chulk and Taglat to remain 
where they were, swung, monkey-like, through 
the trees in the direction of the trail the Arab 
was riding. From one jungle giant to the next 
he sped with the rapidity of a squirrel and the 
silence of a ghost. 

The Arab rode slowly onward, unconscious 
of the danger hovering in the trees behind hi m . 
The ape-man made a slight detour and in- 
creased his speed until he had reached a point 
upon the trail in advance of the horseman. Here 
he halted upon a leafy bough which overhung 
the narrow, jungle trail. On came the victim, 
humming a wild air of the great desert land of 
the north. Above him poised the savage brute 
that was today bent upon the destruction of a 
human life — the same creature who a few 
months before, had occupied his seat in th* 
205 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


House of Lords at London, a respected and 
distinguished member of that august body. 

The Arab passed beneath the overhanging 
bough, there was a slight rustling of the leaves 
above, the horse snorted and plunged as a 
brown-skinned creature dropped upon its rump. 
A pair of mighty arms encircled the Arab and 
he was dragged from his saddle to the trail. 

Ten minutes later the ape-man, carrying the 
outer garments of an Arab bundled beneath an 
arm, rejoined his companions. He exhibited 
his trophies to them, explaining in low gut- 
terals the details of his exploit. Chulk and 
Taglat fingered the fabrics, smelled of them, 
and, placing them to their ears, tried to listen 
to them. 

Then Tarzan led them back through the jun- 
gle to the trail, where the three hid themselves 
and waited. Nor had they long to wait before 
two of Achmet Zek’s blacks, clothed in habili- 
ments similar to their master’s, came down 
the trail on foot, returning to the camp. 

One moment they were laughing and talking 
together — the next they lay stretched in death 
upon the trail, three mighty engines of de- 
struction bending over them. . Tarzan removed 
206 


TABZAN AGAIN LEADS THE MANGANI 


their outer garments as he had removed those 
of his first victim, and again retired with Chulk 
and Taglat to the greater seclusion of the tree 
they had first selected. 

Here the ape-man arranged the garments 
upon his shaggy fellows and himself, until, at 
a distance, it might have appeared that three 
white-robed Arabs squatted silently among the 
branches of the forest. 

Until dark they remained where they were, 
for from his point of vantage, Tarzan could 
view the enclosure within the palisade. He 
marked the position of the hut in which he had 
first discovered the scent spoor of the she he 
sought. He saw the two sentries standing be- 
fore its doorway, and he located the habitation 
of Achmet Zek, where something told him he 
would most likely find his missing pouch and 
pebbles. 

Chulk and Taglat were, at first, greatly in- 
terested in their wonderful raiment. They fin- 
gered the fabric, smelled of it, and regarded 
each other intently with every mark of satis- 
faction and pride. Chulk, a humorist in his 
way, stretched forth a long and hairy arm, and 
grasping the hood of Taglat ’s burnoose pulled 
20 7 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


it down over the latter’s eyes, extinguishing 
him, snuffer-like, as it were. 

The older ape, pessimistic by nature, recog- 
nized no such thing as humor. Creatures laid 
their paws upon him for but two things — to 
search for fleas and to attack. The pulling of 
the Tarmangani-scented thing about his head 
and eyes could not be for the performance of 
the former act; therefore it must be the lat- 
ter. He was attacked! Chulk had attacked 
him. 

With a snarl he was at the other’s throat, not 
even waiting to lift the woolen veil which ob- 
scured his vision. Tarzan leaped upon the two, 
and swaying and toppling upon their insecure 
perch the three great beasts tussled and 
snapped at one another until the ape-man 
finally succeeded in separating the enraged 
anthropoids. 

As apology is unknown to these savage pro- 
genitors of man, and explanation a laborious 
and usually futile process, Tarzan bridged the 
dangerous gulf by distracting their attention 
from their altercation to a consideration of 
their plans for the immediate future. Accus- 
tomed to frequent arguments in which more 
208 


TARZAN AGAIN LEADS THE MANGANI 


hair than blood is wasted, the apes speedily for- 
get such trivial encounters, and presently Chulk 
and Taglat were again squatting in close prox- 
imity to each other and peaceful repose, await- 
ing the moment when the ape-man should lead 
them into the village of the Tarmangani. 

It was long after darkness had fallen, that 
Tarzan led his companions from their hiding 
place in the tree to the ground and around 
the palisade to the far side of the village. 

Gathering the skirts of his burnoose, beneath 
one arm, that his legs might have free action, 
the ape-man took a short running start, and 
scrambled to the top of the barrier. Fearing 
lest the apes should rend their garments to 
shreds in a similar attempt, he had directed 
them to wait below for him, and himself se- 
curely perched upon the summit of the pali- 
sade he unslung his spear and lowered one end 
of it to Chulk. 

The ape seized it, and while Tarzan held 
tightly to the upper end, the anthropoid 
climbed quickly up the shaft until with one 
paw he grasped the top of the wall. To scram- 
ble then to Tarzan ’s side was the work of but 
an instant. In like manner Taglat was con- 
209 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


ducted to their sides, and a moment later the 
three dropped silently within the enclosure. 

Tarzan led them first to the rear of the hut 
in which Jane Clayton was confined, where, 
through the roughly repaired aperture in the 
wall, he sought with his sensitive nostrils for 
proof that the she he had come for was within. 

Chulk and Taglat, their hairy faces pressed 
close to that of the patrician, sniffed with him. 
Each caught the scent spoor of the woman 
within, and each reacted according to his tem- 
perament and his habits of thought. 

It left Chulk indifferent. The she was for 
Tarzan — all that he desired was to bury his 
snout in the foodstuffs of the Tarmangani. He 
had come to eat his fill without labor — Tarzan 
had told him that that should be his reward, 
and he was satisfied. 

But Taglat ’s wicked, bloodshot eyes, nar- 
rowed to the realization of the nearing fulfill- 
ment of his carefully nursed plan. It is true 
that sometimes during the several days that had 
elapsed since they had set out upon their expe- 
dition it had been difficult for Taglat to hold 
his idea uppermost in his mind, and on sev- 
eral occasions he had completely forgotten it, 
210 


TARZAN AGAIN LEADS THE MANGANI 


until Tarzan, by a chance word, had recalled 
it to him, but, for an ape, Taglat had done 
well. 

Now, he licked his chops, and made a sick- 
ening, sucking noise with his flabby lips as he 
drew in his breath. 

Satisfied that the she was where he had hoped 
to find her, Tarzan led his apes toward the tent 
of Achmet Zek. A passing Arab and two slaves 
saw them, but the night was dark and the white 
burnooses hid the hairy limbs of the apes and 
the giant figure of their leader, so that the three, 
by squatting down as though in conversation, 
were passed by, unsuspected. To the rear of 
the tent they made their way. Within, Achmet 
Zek conversed with several of his lieutenants. 
Without, Tarzan listened. 


211 


CHAPTER XVH 

THE DEADLY PERIL OF JANE CLAYTON 

L ieutenant albert werper, tern- 

/fied by contemplation of the fate which 
might await him at Adis Abeba, cast about for 
some scheme of escape, but after the black 
Mugambi had eluded their vigilance the Abys- 
sinians redoubled their precautions to prevent 
Werper following the lead of the negro. 

For some time Werper entertained the idea 
of bribing Abdul Mourak with a portion of the 
contents of the pouch ; but fearing that the man 
would demand all the gems as the price of 
liberty, the Belgian, influenced by avarice, 
sought another avenue from his dilemma. 

It was then that there dawned upon him the 
possibility of the success of a different course 
which would still leave him in possession of the 
jewels, while at the same time satisfying the 
greed of the Abyssinian with the conviction 
that he had obtained all that Werper had to 
offer. 


212 


THE DEADLY PERIL OF JANE CLAYTON 


And so it was that a day or so after Mugambi 
had disappeared, Werper asked for an audi- 
ence with Abdul Mourak. As the Belgian en- 
tered the presence of his captor the scowl upon 
the features of the latter boded ill for any hope 
which Werper might entertain, still he fortified 
himself by recalling the common weakness of 
mankind, which permits the most inflexible of 
natures to bend to the consuming desire for 
wealth. 

Abdul Mourak eyed him, f rowningly. i i What 
do you want now ? 9 9 he asked. 

“My liberty,” replied Werper. 

The Abyssinian sneered. “And you dis- 
turbed me thus to tell me what any fool might 
know,” he said. 

“I can pay for it,” said Werper. 

Abdul Mourak laughed loudly. “Pay for 
it?” he cried. “What with — the rags that 
you have upon your back? Or, perhaps you 
are concealing beneath your coat a thousand 
pounds of ivory. Get out! You are a fool. 
Do not bother me again or I shall have you 
whipped.” 

But Werper persisted. His liberty and per- 
haps his life depended upon his success. 

213 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


“ Listen to me,” he pleaded. 44 If I can give 
you as much gold as ten men may carry will 
you promise that I shall be conducted in safety 
to the nearest English commissioner ? ” 

“ As much gold as ten men may carry! ” re- 
peated Abdul Mourak. “ You are crazy. Where 
have you so much gold as that? ” 

“I know where it is hid,” said Wer- 
per. “ Promise, and I will lead you to it — if 
ten loads is enough? ” 

Abdul Mourak had ceased to laugh. He was 
eyeing the Belgian intently. The fellow seemed 
sane enough — yet ten loads of gold! It was 
preposterous. The Abyssinian thought in si- 
lence for a moment. 

‘ ‘Well, and if I promise,” he said. “How 
far is this gold? ” 

“ A long week’s march to the south,” replied 
Werper. 

“ And if we do not find it where you say it 
is, do you realize what your punishment will 
be?” 

* ‘ If it is not there I will forfeit my life,” re- 
plied the Belgian. “ I know it is there, for I 
saw it buried with my own eyes. And more — 
there are not only ten loads, but as many as 
214 


THE DEADLY PERIL OF JANE CLAYTON 


fifty men may carry. It is all yours if you will 
promise to see me safely delivered into the pro- 
tection of the English .’ 9 

“ You will stake your life against the finding 
of the gold? ” asked Abdul. 

Werper assented with a nod. 

“ Very well,” said the Abyssinian, “ I prom- 
ise, and even if there be but five loads you shall 
have your freedom ; but until the gold is in my 
possession you remain a prisoner.” 

a Iam satisfied,” said Werper. “ Tomorrow 
we start? ” 

Abdul Mourak nodded, and the Belgian re- 
turned to his guards. The following day the 
Abyssinian soldiers were surprised to receive 
an order which turned their faces from the 
northeast to the south. And so it happened 
that upon the very night that Tarzan and the 
two apes entered the village of the raiders, the 
Abyssinians camped but a few miles to the east 
of the same spot. 

While Werper dreamed of freedom and the 
unmolested enjoyment of the fortune in his 
stolen pouch, and Abdul Mourak lay awake in 
greedy contemplation of the fifty loads of gold 
which lay but a few days farther to the south 
215 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


of him, Achmet Zek gave orders to his lieuten- 
ants that they should prepare a force of fight- 
ing men and carriers to proceed to the ruins of 
the Englishman’s douar on the morrow and 
bring back the fabulous fortune which his rene- 
gade lieutenant had told him was buried there. 

And as he delivered his instructions to those 
within, a silent listener crouched without his 
tent, waiting for the time when he might enter 
in safety and prosecute his search for the miss- 
ing pouch and the pretty pebbles that had 
caught his fancy. 

At last the swarthy companions of Achmet 
Zek quitted his tent, and the leader went with 
them to smoke a pipe with one of their num- 
ber, leaving his own silken habitation un- 
guarded. Scarcely had they left the interior 
when a knife blade was thrust through the 
fabric of the rear wall, some six feet above 
the ground, and a swift downward stroke 
opened an entrance to those who waited be- 
yond. 

Through the opening stepped the ape-man, 
and close behind him came the huge Chulk ; but 
Taglat did not follow them. Instead he turned 
and slunk through the darkness toward the hut 
216 


THE DEADLY PERIL OF JANE CLAYTON 


where the she who had arrested his brutish in- 
terest lay securely bound. Before the door- 
way the sentries sat upon their haunches, con- 
versing in monotones. Within, the young 
woman lay upon a filthy sleeping mat, resigned, 
through utter hopelessness to whatever fate 
lay in store for her until the opportunity ar- 
rived which would permit her to free herself 
by the only means which now seemed even re- 
motely possible — the hitherto detested act of 
self-destruction. 

Creeping silently toward the sentries, a 
white-bumoosed figure approached the shad- 
ows at one end of the hut. The meager intellect 
of the creature denied it the advantage it might 
have taken of its disguise. Where it could 
have walked boldly to the very sides of the 
sentries, it chose rather to sneak upon them, 
unseen, from the rear. 

It came to the corner of the hut and peered 
around. The sentries were but a few paces 
away; but the ape did not dare expose himself, 
even for an instant, to those feared and hated 
thunder-sticks which the Tarmangani knew so 
well how to use, if there were another and safer 
method of attack. 


217 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


Taglat wished that there was a tree nearby 
from the overhanging branches of which he 
might spring upon his unsuspecting prey ; but, 
though there was no tree, the idea gave birth 
to a plan. The eaves of the hut were just above 
the heads of the sentries — from them he could 
leap upon the Tarmangani, unseen. A quick 
snap of those mighty jaws would dispose of one 
of them before the other realized that they were 
attacked, and the second would fall an easy 
prey to the strength, agility and ferocity of a 
second quick charge. 

Taglat withdrew a few paces to the rear of 
the hut, gathered himself for the effort, ran 
quickly forward and leaped high into the air. 
He struck the roof directly above the rear wall 
of the hut, and the structure, reinforced by the 
wall beneath, held his enormous weight for an 
instant, then he moved forward a step, the 
roof sagged, the thatching parted and the great 
anthropoid shot through into the interior. 

The sentries, hearing the crashing of the roof 
poles, leaped to their feet and rushed into the 
hut. Jane Clayton tried to roll aside as the 
great form lit upon the floor so close to her 
that one foot pinned her clothing to the ground* 
218 


THE DEADLY PERIL OP JANE CLAYTON 


The ape, feeling the movement beside him, 
reached down and gathered the girl in the hol- 
low of one mighty arm. The burnoose covered 
the hairy body so that Jane Clayton believed 
that a human arm supported her, and from the 
extremity of hopelessness a great hope sprang 
into her breast that at last she was in the keep- 
ing of a rescuer. 

The two sentries were now within the hut, 
but hesitating because of doubt as to the nature 
of the cause of the disturbance. Their eyes, not 
yet accustomed to the darkness of the interior, 
told them nothing, nor did they hear any sound, 
for the ape stood silently awaiting their attack. 

Seeing that they stood without advancing, 
and realizing that, handicapped as he was by 
the weight of the she, he could put up but 
a poor battle, Taglat elected to risk a sudden 
break for liberty. Lowering his head, he 
charged straight for the two sentries who 
blocked the doorway. The impact of his mighty 
shoulders bowled them over upon their backs, 
and before they could scramble to their feet, 
the ape was gone, darting in the shadows of 
the huts toward the palisade at the far end of 
the village. 


219 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


The speed and strength of her rescuer filled 
Jane Clayton with wonder. Could it be that 
Tarzan had survived the bullet of the Arab? 
Who else in all the jungle could bear the weight 
of a grown woman as lightly as he who held 
her? She spoke his name; but there was no re- 
sponse. Still she did not give up hope. 

At the palisade the beast did not even hesi- 
tate. A single mighty leap carried it to the 
top, where it poised but for an instant before 
dropping to the ground upon the opposite side. 
Now the girl was almost positive that she was 
safe in the arms of her husband, and when the 
ape took to the trees and bore her swiftly into 
the jungle, as Tarzan had done at other times 
in the past, belief became conviction. 

In a little moonlit glade, a mile or so from 
the camp of the raiders, her rescuer halted and 
dropped her to the ground. His roughness sur- 
prised her, but still she had no doubts. Again 
she called him by name, and at the same instant 
the ape, fretting under the restraints of the 
unaccustomed garments of the Tarmangani, 
tore the burnoose from him, revealing to the 
eyes of the horror-struck woman the hideous 
face and hairy form of a giant anthropoid. 

220 


THE DEADLY PERIL OP JANE CLAYTON 


With a piteous wail of terror, Jane Clayton 
swooned, while, from the concealment of a 
nearby bush, Numa, the lion, eyed the pair hun- 
grily and licked his chops. 

Tarzan, entering the tent of Achmet Zek, 
searched the interior thoroughly. He tore the 
bed to pieces and scattered the contents of box 
and bag about the floor. He investigated what- 
ever his eyes discovered, nor did those keen 
organs overlook a single article within the habi- 
tation of the raider chief; but no pouch or 
pretty pebbles rewarded his thoroughness. 

Satisfied at last that his belongings were 
not in the possession of Achmet Zek, unless 
they were on the person of the chief himself, 
Tarzan decided to secure the person of the she 
before further prosecuting his search for the 
pouch. 

Motioning for Chulk to follow him, he passed 
out of the tent by the same way that he had 
entered it, and walking boldly through the vil- 
lage, made directly for the hut where Jane 
Clayton had been imprisoned. 

He noted with surprise the absence of Taglat, 
whom he had expected to find awaiting him out- 
221 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


side the tent of Achmet Zek; but, accustomed 
as he was to the unreliability of apes, he gave 
no serious attention to the present defection 
of his surly companion. So long as Taglat did 
not cause interference with his plans, Tarzan 
was indifferent to his absence. 

As he approached the hut, the ape-man no- 
ticed that a crowd had collected about the en- 
trance. He could see that the men who com- 
posed it were much excited, and fearing lest 
Chulk’s disguise should prove inadequate to 
the concealment of his true identity in the face 
of so many observers, he commanded the ape 
to betake himself to the far end of the village, 
and there await him. 

As Chulk waddled off, keeping to the shad- 
ows, Tarzan advanced boldly toward the ex- 
cited group before the doorway of the hut. He 
mingled with the blacks and Arabs in an en- 
deavor to learn the cause of the commotion, in 
his interest forgetting that he alone of the as- 
semblage carried a spear, a bow and arrows, 
and thus might become an object of suspicious 
attention. 

Shouldering his way through the crowd he 
approached the doorway, and had almost 
222 


THE DEADLY PERIL OF JANE CLAYTON 


reached it when one of the Arabs laid a hand 
upon his shoulder, crying: “ Who is this? ” at 
the same time snatching back the hood from the 
ape-man’s face. 

Tarzan of the Apes in all his savage life had 
never been accustomed to pause in argument 
with an antagonist. The primitive instinct of 
self-preservation acknowledges many arts and 
wiles; but argument is not one of them, nor 
did he now waste precious time in an attempt 
to convince the raiders that he was not a wolf 
in sheep’s clothing. Instead he had his un- 
masker by the throat ere the man’s words 
had scarce quitted his lips, and hurling him 
from side to side brushed away those who would 
have swarmed upon him. 

Using the Arab as a weapon, Tarzan forced 
his way quickly to the doorway, and a moment 
later was within the hut. A hasty examination 
revealed the fact that it was empty, and his 
sense of smell discovered, too, the scent spoor 
of Taglat, the ape. Tarzan uttered a low, omi- 
nous growl. Those who were pressing forward 
at the doorway to seize him, fell back as the 
savage notes of the bestial challenge smote upon 
their ears. They looked at one another in sur- 
223 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


prise and consternation. A man had entered 
the hut alone, and yet with their own ears they 
had heard the voice of a wild beast within. 
What could it mean? Had a lion or a leopard 
sought sanctuary in the interior, unbeknown to 
the sentries? 

Tarzan ’s quick eyes discovered the opening 
in the roof, through which Taglat had fallen. 
He guessed that the ape had either come or 
gone by way of the break, and while the Arabs 
hesitated without, he sprang, catlike, for the 
opening, grasped the top of the wall and clam- 
bered out upon the roof, dropping instantly to 
the ground at the rear of the hut. 

When the Arabs finally mustered courage 
to enter the hut, after firing several volleys 
through the walls, they found the interior de- 
serted. At the same time Tarzan, at the far end 
of the village, sought for Chulk; hut the ape 
was nowhere to be found. 

Robbed of his she, deserted by his compan- 
ions, and as much in ignorance as ever as to the 
whereabouts of his pouch and pebbles, it was an 
angry Tarzan who climbed the palisade and 
vanished into the darkness of the jungle. 

For the present he must give up the search 
224 


THE DEADLY PERIL OF JANE CLAYTON 


for his pouch, since it would be paramount to 
self-destruction to enter the Arab camp now 
while all its inhabitants were aroused and upon 
the alert. 

In his escape from the village, the ape-man 
had lost the spoor of the fleeing Taglat, and 
now he circled widely through the forest in an 
endeavor to again pick it up. 

Chulk had remained at his post until the 
cries and shots of the Arabs had filled his sim- 
ple soul with terror, for above all things the 
ape folk fear the thunder-sticks of the Tar- 
mangani; then he had clambered nimbly over 
the palisade, tearing his burnoose in the effort, 
and fled into the depths of the jungle, grumbling 
and scolding as he went. 

Tarzan, roaming the jungle in search of the 
trail of Taglat and the she, traveled swiftly. 
In a little moonlit glade ahead of him the great 
ape was bending over the prostrate form of 
the woman Tarzan sought. The beast was 
tearing at the bonds that confined her ankles 
and wrists, pulling and gnawing upon the cords. 

The course the ape-man was taking would 
carry him but a short distance to the right of 
them, and though he could not have seen them 
225 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


the wind was bearing down from them to him, 
carrying their scent spoor strongly toward him. 

A moment more and Jane Clayton’s safety 
might have been assured, even though Numa, 
the lion, was already gathering himself in prep- 
aration for a charge ; but Fate, already all too 
cruel, now outdid herself — the wind veered 
suddenly for a few moments, the scent spoor 
that would have led the ape-man to the girl’s 
side was wafted in the opposite direction; Tar- 
zan passed within fifty yards of the tragedy 
that was being enacted in the glade, and the op- 
portunity was gone beyond recalL 


226 


CHAPTER XVIH 

THE EIGHT FOR THE TREASURE 

I T WAS morning before Tarzan could bring 
himself to a realization of the possibility of 
failure in his quest, and even then he would 
only admit that success was but delayed. He 
would eat and sleep, and then set forth again. 
The jungle was wide; but wide too were the 
experience and cunning of Tarzan. Taglat 
might travel far; but Tarzan would find him 
in the end, though he had to search every tree 
in the mighty forest. 

Soliloquizing thus, the ape-man followed the 
spoor of Bara, the deer, the unfortunate upon 
which he had decided to satisfy his hunger. 
For half an hour the trail led the ape-man to- 
ward the east along a well-marked game path, 
when suddenly, to the stalker’s astonishment, 
the quarry broke into sight, racing madly back 
along the narrow way straight toward the 
hunter. 

Tarzan, who had been following along the 
227 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


trail, leaped so quickly to the concealing ver* 
dure at the side that the deer was still unaware 
of the presence of an enemy in this direction, 
and while the animal was still some distance 
away, the ape-man swung into the lower 
branches of a tree which overhung the trail. 
There he crouched, a savage beast of prey, 
awaiting the coming of its victim. 

What had frightened the deer into so frantic 
a retreat, Tarzan did not know — Numa, the 
lion, perhaps, or Sheeta, the panther ; but what- 
soever it was mattered little to Tarzan of the 
Apes — he was ready and willing to defend his 
kill against any other denizen of the jungle. 
If he were unable to do it by means of physical 
prowess, he had at his command another and 
a greater power — his shrewd intelligence. 

And so, on came the running deer, straight 
into the jaws of death. The ape-man turned 
so that his back was toward the approaching 
animal. He poised with bent knees upon the 
gently swaying limb above the trail, timing with 
keen ears the nearing hoof beats of frightened 
Bara. 

In a moment the victim flashed beneath the 
limb and at the same instant the ape-man 
228 


THE FIGHT FOR THE TREASURE 


above sprang out and down npon its back. The 
weight of the man’s body carried the deer to 
the ground. It stumbled forward once in a 
futile effort to rise, and then mighty muscles 
dragged its head far back, gave the neck a 
vicious wrench, and Bara was dead. 

Quick had been the killing, and equally quick 
were the ape-man ’s subsequent actions, for who 
might know what manner of killer pursued 
Bara, or how close at hand he might be 1 Scarce 
had the neck of the victim snapped than the 
carcass was hanging over one of Tarzan’s 
broad shoulders, and an instant later the ape- 
man was perched once more among the lower 
branches of a tree above the trail, his keen, gray 
eyes scanning the pathway down which the deer 
had fled. 

Nor was it long before the cause of Bara’s 
fright became evident to Tarzan, for presently 
came the unmistakable sounds of approaching 
horsemen. Dragging his kill after him the ape- 
man ascended to the middle terrace, and set- 
tling himself comfortably in the crotch of a 
tree where he could still view the trail beneath, 
cut a juicy steak from the deer’s loin, and bury- 
ing his strong, white teeth in the hot flesh pro- 
229 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


ceeded to enjoy the fruits of his prowess and 
his cunning. 

Nor did he neglect the trail beneath while 
he satisfied his hunger. His sharp eyes saw 
the muzzle of the leading horse as it came into 
view around a bend in the tortuous trail, and 
one by one they scrutinized the riders as they 
passed beneath him in single file. 

Among them came one whom Tarzan recog- 
nized, but so schooled was the ape-man in the 
control of his emotions that no slightest change 
of expression, much less any hysterical demon- 
stration that might have revealed his presence, 
betrayed the fact of his inward excitement. 

Beneath him, as unconscious of his presence 
as were the Abyssinians before and behind him, 
rode Albert Werper, while the ape-man scrutin- 
ized the Belgian for some sign of the pouch 
which he had stolen. 

As the Abyssinians rode toward the south, 
a giant figure hovered ever upon their trail — 
a huge, almost naked white man, who carried 
the bloody carcass of a deer upon his shoul 
ders, for Tarzan knew that he might not have 
another opportunity to hunt for some time if h$ 
were to follow the Belgian. 

230 


THE FIGHT FOR THE TREASURE 


To endeavor to snatch him from the midst of 
the armed horsemen, not even Tarzan would 
attempt other than in the last extremity, for 
the way of the wild is the way of caution and 
cunning, unless they be aroused to rashness by 
pain or anger. 

So the Abyssinians and the Belgian marched 
southward and Tarzan of the Apes swung si- 
lently after them through the swaying branches 
of the middle terrace. 

A two days’ march brought them to a level 
plain beyond which lay mountains — a plain 
which Tarzan remembered and which aroused 
within him vague half memories and strange 
longings. Out upon the plain the horsemen 
rode, and at a safe distance behind them crept 
the ape-man, taking advantage of such cover 
as the ground afforded. 

Beside a charred pile of timbers the Abys- 
sinians halted, and Tarzan, sneaking close and 
concealing himself in nearby shrubbery, 
watched them in wonderment. He saw them 
digging up the earth, and he wondered if they 
had hidden meat there in the past and now had 
come for it. Then he recalled how he had 
buried his pretty pebbles, and the suggestion 
231 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


that had caused him to do it. They were dig- 
ging for the things the blacks had buried here ! 

Presently he saw them uncover a dirty, yel- 
low object, and he witnessed the joy of Werper 
and of Abdul Mourak as the grimy object was 
exposed to view. One by one they unearthed 
many similar pieces, all of the same uniform, 
dirty yellow, until a pile of them lay upon the 
ground, a pile which Abdul Mourak fondled and 
petted in an ecstasy of greed. 

Something stirred in the ape-man’s mind as 
he looked long upon the golden ingots. Where 
had he seen such before? What were they? 
Why did these Tarmangani covet them so 
greatly? To whom did they belong? 

He recalled the black men who had buried 
them. The things must be theirs. Werper was 
stealing them as he had stolen Tarzai^’s pouch 
of pebbles. The ape-man’s eyes blazed in 
anger. He would like to find the black men and 
lead them against these thieves. He wondered 
where their village might be. 

As all these things ran through the active 
mind, a party of men moved out of the forest 
at the edge of the plain and advanced toward 
the ruins of the burned bungalow. 

232 


THE FIGHT FOR THE TREASURE 


Abdul Mourak, always watchful, was the first 
to see them, but already they were halfway 
across the open. He called to his men to mount 
and hold themselves in readiness, for in the 
heart of Africa who may know whether a 
strange host be friend or foe? 

Werper, swinging into his saddle, fastened 
his eyes upon the newcomers, then, white and 
trembling he turned toward Abdul Mourak. 

“ It is Achmet Zek and his raiders/ ’ he whis- 
pered. “ They are come for the gold.” 

It must have been at about the same instant 
that Achmet Zek discovered the pile of yellow 
ingots and realized the actuality of what he 
had already feared since first his eyes had 
alighted upon the party beside the ruins of the 
Englishman’s bungalow. Someone had fore- 
stalled him — another had come for the treasure 
ahead of him. 

The Arab was crazed by rage. Recently 
everything had gone against him. He had lost 
the jewels, the Belgian, and for the second 
time he had lost the Englishwoman. Now some 
one had come to rob him of this treasure which 
he had thought as safe from disturbance here 
as though it never had been mined 
233 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


He cared not whom the thieves might be. 
They would not give up the gold without a 
battle, of that he was certain, and with a wild 
whoop and a command to his followers, Achmet 
Zek put spurs to his horse and dashed down 
upon the Abyssinians, and after him, waving 
their long guns above their heads, yelling and 
cursing, came his motley horde of cut-throat 
followers. 

The men of Abdul Mourak met them with a 
volley which emptied a few saddles, and then 
the raiders were among them, and sword, pistol 
and musket, each was doing its most hideous 
and bloody work. 

Achmet Zek, spying Werper at the first 
charge, bore down upon the Belgian, and the 
latter, terrified by contemplation of the fate 
he deserved, turned his horse’s head and dashed 
madly away in an effort to escape. Shouting to 
a lieutenant to take command, and urging him 
upon pain of death to dispatch the Abyssinians 
and bring the gold back to his camp, Achmet 
Zek set off across the plain in pursuit of the 
Belgian, his wicked nature unable to forego 
the pleasures of revenge, even at the risk of 
sacrificing the treasure. 

234 


THE FIGHT FOR THE TREASURE 


As the pursued and the pursuer raced madly 
toward the distant forest the battle behind 
them raged with bloody savageness. No quar- 
ter was asked or given by either the ferocious 
Abyssinians or the murderous cut-throats of 
Achmet Zek. 

From the concealment of the shrubbery Tar- 
zan watched the sanguinary conflict which so 
effectually surrounded him that he found no 
loop-hole through which he might escape to 
follow Werper and the Arab chief. 

The Abyssinians were formed in a circle 
which included Tarzan’s position, and around 
and into them galloped the yelling raiders, now 
darting away, now charging in to deliver thrusts 
and cuts with their curved swords. 

Numerically the men of Achmet Zek were 
superior, and slowly but surely the soldiers of 
Menelek were being exterminated. To Tarzan 
the result was immaterial. He watched with 
but a single purpose — to escape the ring of 
blood-mad fighters and be away after the Bel- 
gian and his pouch. 

When he had first discovered Werper upon 
the trail where he had slain Bara, he had 
thought that his eyes must be playing him 
235 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


false, so certain had he been that the thief 
had been slain and devoured by Numa; but 
after following the detachment for two days, 
with his keen eyes always upon the Belgian, 
he no longer doubted the identity of the man, 
though he was put to it to explain the identity 
of the mutilated corpse he had supposed was 
the man he sought. 

As he crouched in hiding among the unkempt 
shrubbery which so short a while since had 
been the delight and pride of the wife he no 
longer recalled, an Arab and an Abyssinian 
wheeled their mounts close to his position as 
they slashed at each other with their swords. 

Step by step the Arab beat back his adver- 
sary until the latter’s horse all but trod upon 
the ape-man, and then a vicious cut clove the 
black warrior’s skull, and the corpse toppled 
backward almost upon Tarzan. 

As the Abyssinian tumbled from his saddle 
the possibility of escape which was represented 
by the riderless horse electrified the ape-man 
to instant action. Before the frightened beast 
could gather himself for flight a naked giant 
was astride his back. A strong hand had 
grasped his bridle rein, and the surprised Arab 
286 


THE FIGHT FOR THE TREASURE 


discovered a new foe in the saddle of him, whom 
he had slain. 

But this enemy wielded no sword, and his 
spear and bow remained upon his back. The 
Arab, recovered from his first surprise, dashed 
in with raised sword to annihilate this pre- 
sumptious stranger. He aimed a mighty blow 
at the ape-man’s head, a blow which swung 
harmlessly through thin air as Tarzan ducked 
from its path, and then the Arab felt the other’s 
horse brushing his leg, a great arm shot out 
and encircled his waist, and before he could 
recover himself he was dragged from his sad- 
dle, and forming a shield for his antagonist 
was borne at a mad run straight through the 
encircling ranks of his fellows. 

Just beyond them he was tossed aside upon 
the ground, and the last he saw of his strange 
foeman the latter was galloping otf across the 
plain in the direction of the forest at its farther 
edge. 

For another hour the battle raged nor did 
it cease until the last of the Abyssinians lay 
dead upon the ground, or had galloped off 
toward the north in flight. But a handful of 
men escaped, among them Abdul Mourak. 

237 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


The victorious raiders collected about the 
pile of golden ingots which the Abyssinians 
had uncovered, and there awaited the return 
of their leader. Their exultation was slightly 
tempered by the glimpse they had had of the 
strange apparition of the naked white man 
galloping away upon the horse of one of their 
foemen and carrying a companion who was now 
among them expatiating upon the superhuman 
strength of the ape-man. None of them there 
but was familiar with the name and fame of 
Tarzan of the Apes, and the fact that they had 
recognized the white giant as the ferocious 
enemy of the wrongdoers of the jungle, added 
to their terror, for they had been assured that 
Tarzan was dead. 

Naturally superstitious, they fully believed 
that they had seen the disembodied spirit of 
the dead man, and now they cast fearful glances 
about them in expectation of the ghost’s early 
return to the scene of the ruin they had in- 
flicted upon him during their recent raid upon 
his home, and discussed in affrighted whispers 
the probable nature of the vengeance which the 
spirit would inflict upon them should he return 
to find them in possession of his gold. 

238 


THE FIGHT FOR THE TREASURE 


As they conversed their terror grew, while 
from the concealment of the reeds along the 
river below them a small party of naked, black 
warriors watched their every move. From the 
heights beyond the river these black men had 
heard the noise of the conflict, and creeping 
warily down to the stream had forded it and 
advanced through the reeds until they were in 
a position to watch every move of the com- 
batants. 

For a half hour the raiders awaited Achmet 
Zek’s return, their fear of the earlier return 
of the ghost of Tarzan constantly undermining 
their loyalty to and fear of their chief. Finally 
one among them voiced the desires of all when 
he announced that he intended riding forth 
toward the forest in search of Achmet Zek. 
Instantly every man of them sprang to his 
mount. 

“ The gold will be safe here,” cried one. 
“ We have killed the Abyssinians and there 
are no others to carry it away. Let us ride in 
search of Achmet Zek ! ’ 9 

And a moment later, amidst a cloud of dust, 
the raiders were galloping madly across the 
plain, and out from the concealment of the reeds 
239 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


along the river, crept a party of black warriors 
toward the spot where the golden ingots of Opar 
lay piled on the ground. 

Werper had still been in advance of Achmet 
Zek when he reached the forest ; but the latter^ 
better mounted, was gaining upon him. Rid 
ing with the reckless courage of desperation the 
Belgian urged his mount to greater speed even 
within the narrow confines of the winding, game 
trail that the beast was following. 

Behind him he could hear the voice of Achmet 
Zek crying to him to halt; but Werper only 
dug the spurs deeper into the bleeding sides 
of his panting mount. Two hundred yards 
within the forest a broken branch lay across 
the trail. It was a small thing that a horse 
might ordinarily take in his natural stride with- 
out noticing its presence; but Werper ’s horse 
was jaded, his feet were heavy with weariness, 
and as the branch caught between his front legs 
he stumbled, was unable to recover himself, and 
went down, sprawling in the trail. 

Werper, going over his head rolled a few 
yards farther on, scrambled to his feet and ran 
back. Seizing the reins he tugged to drag the 
beast to his feet; but the animal would not or 
240 


THE FIGHT FOR THE TREASURE 


could not rise, and as the Belgian cursed ana 
struck at him, Achmet Zek appeared in view. 

Instantly the Belgian ceased his efforts with 
the dying animal at his feet, and seizing his 
rifle, dropped behind the horse and fired at the 
oncoming Arab. 

His bullet, going low, struck Achmet Zek’s 
horse in the breast, bringing him down a hun- 
dred yards from where Werper lay preparing 
to fire a second shot. 

The Arab, who had gone down with his mount, 
was standing astride him, and seeing the Bel- 
gian’s strategic position behind his fallen 
horse, lost no time in taking up a similar one 
behind his own. 

And there the two lay, alternately firing at 
and cursing each other, while from behind the 
Arab, Tarzan of the Apes approached to the 
edge of the forest. Here he heard the occa- 
sional shots of the duelists, and choosing the 
safer and swifter avenue of the forest branches 
to the uncertain transportation afforded by a 
half-broken Abyssinian pony, took to the trees. 

Keeping to one side of the trail, the ape-man 
came presently to a point where he could look 
down in comparative safety upon the fighters. 

241 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


First one and then the other would partially 
raise himself above his breastwork of horse- 
flesh, fire his weapon and immediately drop 
flat behind his shelter, where he would reload 
and repeat the act a moment later. 

Werper had but little ammunition, having 
been hastily armed by Abdul Mourak from the 
body of one of the first of the Abyssinians who 
had fallen in the fight about the pile of ingots, 
and now he realized that soon he would have 
used his last bullet, and be at the mercy of the 
Arab — a mercy with which he was well 
acquainted. 

Facing both death and despoilment of his 
treasure, the Belgian cast about for some plan 
of escape, and the only one that appealed to 
him as containing even a remote possibility of 
success hinged upon the chance of bribing 
Achmet Zek. 

Werper had fired all but a single cartridge^ 
when, during a lull in the fighting, he called 
aloud to his opponent. 

“Achmet Zek,” he cried, “Allah alone 
knows which one of us may leave our bones to 
rot where he lies upon this trail today if we 
keep up our foolish battle. You wish the con- 
242 


THE FIGHT FOR THE TREASURE 


tents of the pouch I wear about my waist, and 
I wish my life and my liberty even more than 
I do the jewels. Let us each, then, take that 
which he most desires and go our separate 
ways in peace. I will lay the pouch upon the 
carcass of my horse, where you may see it, 
and you, in turn, will lay your gun upon your 
horse, with butt toward me. Then I will go 
away, leaving the pouch to you, and you will 
let me go in safety. I want only my life, and 
my freedom.’ ’ 

The Arab thought in silence for a moment. 
Then he spoke. His reply was influenced by 
the fact that he had expended his last shot. 

“Go your way, then,” he growled, “leav- 
ing the pouch in plain sight behind you. See, 
I lay my gun thus, with the butt toward you. 
Go.” 

Werper removed the pouch from about his 
waist. Sorrowfully and affectionately he let 
his fingers press the hard outlines of the con- 
tents. Ah, if he could but extract a little hand- 
ful of the precious stones! But Achmet Zek 
was standing now, his eagle eyes commanding a 
plain view of the Belgian and his every act. 

Regretfully Werper laid the pouch, its con- 
243 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


tents undisturbed, upon the body of his horse, 
rose, and taking his rifle with him, backed slowly 
down the trail until a turn hid him from the 
view of the watchful Arab. 

Even then Achmet Zek did not advance, fear- 
ful as he was of some such treachery as he him- 
self might have been guilty of under like cir- 
cumstances ; nor were his suspicions groundless, 
for the Belgian, no sooner had he passed out of 
the range of the Arab’s vision, halted behind 
the bole of a tree, where he still commanded 
an unobstructed view of his dead horse and the 
pouch, and raising his rifle covered the spot 
where the other’s body must appear when he 
came forward to seize the treasure. 

But Achmet Zek was no fool to expose him- 
self to the blackened honor of a thief and a 
murderer. Taking his long gun with him, he 
left the trail, entering the rank and tangled 
vegetation which walled it, and crawling slowly 
forward on hands and knees he paralleled the 
trail; but never for an instant was his body 
exposed to the rifle of the hidden assassin. 

Thus Achmet Zek advanced until he had come 
opposite the dead horse of his enemy. The 
pouch lay there in full view, while a short dis- 
244 


THE FIGHT FOR THE TREASURE 


tance along the trail, Werper waited in grow- 
ing impatience and nervousness, wondering why 
the Arab did not come to claim his reward. 

Presently he saw the muzzle of a rifle appear 
suddenly and mysteriously a few inches above 
the pouch, and before he could realize the cun- 
ning trick that the Arab had played upon him 
the sight of the weapon was adroitly hooked 
into the rawhide thong which formed the carry- 
ing strap of the pouch, and the latter was drawn 
quickly from his view into the dense foliage at 
the trail *s side. 

Not for an instant had the raider exposed a 
square inch of his body, and Werper dared not 
fire his one remaining shot unless every chance 
of a successful hit was in his favor. 

Chuckling to himself, Achmet Zek withdrew 
a few paces farther into the jungle, for he was 
as positive that Werper was waiting nearby 
for a chance to pot him as though his eyes had 
penetrated the jungle trees to the figure of the 
hiding Belgian, fingering his rifle behind the 
bole of the buttressed giant. 

Werper did not dare advance — his cupidity 
would not permit him to depart, and so he stood 
there, his rifle ready in his hands, his eyes 
245 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


watching the trail before him with catlike in- 
tensity. 

But there was another who had seen the 
pouch and recognized it, who did advance with 
Achmet Zek, hovering above him, as silent and 
as sure as death itself, and as the Arab, find- 
ing a little spot less overgrown with bushes 
than he had yet encountered, prepared to gloat 
his eyes upon the contents of the pouch, Tar- 
zan paused directly above him, intent upon the 
same object. 

Wetting his thin lips with his tongue, Ach- 
met Zek loosened the tie strings which closed 
the mouth of the pouch, and cupping one claw- 
like hand poured forth a portion of the con- 
tents into his palm. 

A single look he took at the stones lying in 
his hand. His eyes narrowed, a curse broke 
from his lips, and he hurled the small objects 
upon the ground, disdainfully. Quickly he 
emptied the balance of the contents until he 
had scanned each separate stone, and as he 
dumped them all upon the ground and stamped 
upon them his rage grew until the muscles of 
his face worked in demon-like fury, and his fin- 
gers clenched until his nails bit into the flesh- 
246 


THE FIGHT FOR THE TREASURE 


Above, Tarzan watched in wonderment. He 
had been curious to discover what all the pow- 
wow about his pouch had meant. He wanted 
to see what the Arab would do after the other 
had gone away, leaving the pouch behind him, 
and, having satisfied his curiosity, he would 
then have pounced upon Achmet Zek and taken 
the pouch and his pretty pebbles away from 
him, for did they not belong to Tarzan? 

He saw the Arab now throw aside the empty 
pouch, and grasping his long gun by the bar- 
rel, clublike, sneak stealthily through the jungle 
beside the trail along which Werper had gone. 

As the man disappeared from his view, 
Tarzan dropped to the ground and commenced 
gathering up the spilled contents of the pouch, 
and the moment that he obtained his first near 
view of the scattered pebbles he understood the 
rage of the Arab, for instead of the glittering 
and scintillating gems which had first caught 
and held the attention of the ape-man, the pouch 
had now contained but a collection of ordinary 
river pebbles. 


247 


CHAPTER XIX 

JANE CLAYTON AND THE BEASTS OF THE JUNGLE 

M UGAMBI, after his successful break for 
liberty, had fallen upon hard times. 
His way had led him through a country with 
which he was unfamiliar, a jungle country in 
which he could find no water, and but little 
food, so that after several days of wandering 
he found himself so reduced in strength that 
he could barely drag himself along. 

It was with growing difficulty that he found 
the strength necessary to construct a shelter by 
night wherein he might be reasonably safe from 
the large carnivora, and by day he still further 
exhausted his strength in digging for edible 
roots, and searching for water. 

A few stagnant pools at considerable dis- 
tances apart saved him from death by thirst; 
but his was a pitiable state when finally he 
stumbled by accident upon a large river in a 
country where fruit was abundant, and small 
game which he might bag by means of a combi- 
248 


JANE AND THE BEASTS OF THE JUNGLE 


nation of stealth, canning, and a crude knob- 
stick which he had fashioned from a fallen limb. 

Realizing that he still had a long march ahead 
of him before he could reach even the outskirts 
of the Waziri country, Mugambi wisely decided 
to remain where he was until he had recuper- 
ated his strength and health. A few days’ rest 
would accomplish wonders for him, he knew, 
and he could ill afford to sacrifice his chances 
for a safe return by setting forth handicapped 
by weakness. 

And so it was that he constructed a substan- 
tial thorn boma, and rigged a thatched shelter 
within it, where he might sleep by night in 
security, and from which he sallied forth by 
day to hunt the flesh which alone could return 
to his giant thews their normal prowess. 

One day, as he hunted, a pair of savage eyes 
discovered him from the concealment of the 
branches of a great tree beneath which the black 
warrior passed. Bloodshot, wicked eyes they 
were, set in a fierce and hairy face. 

They watclied Mugambi make his little kill of 
a small rodent, and they followed him as he re- 
turned to his hut, their owner moving quietly 
through the trees upon the trail of the negro. 

249 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


The creature was Chulk, and he looked down 
upon the unconscious man more in curiosity 
than in hate. The wearing of the Arab 
burnoose which Tarzan had placed upon his 
person had aroused in the mind of the anthro- 
poid a desire for similar mimicry of the 
TarmanganL The burnoose, though, had ob- 
structed his movements and proven such a 
nuisance that the ape had long since torn it 
from him and thrown it away. 

Now, however, he saw a Gomangani arrayed 
in less cumbersome apparel — a loin cloth, a few 
copper ornaments and a feather headdress. 
These were more in line with Chulk’s desires 
than a flowing robe which was constantly get- 
ting between ones legs, and catching upon every 
limb and bush along the leafy trail. 

Chulk eyed the pouch, which, suspended over 
Mugambi’s shoulder, swung beside his black 
hip. This took his fancy, for it was ornamented 
with feathers and a fringe, and so the ape hung 
about Mugambi’s boma, waiting an opportu- 
nity to seize either by stealth or might some 
object of the black’s apparel. 

Nor was it long before the opportunity came. 
Feeling safe within his thorny enclosure, 
250 


JANE AND THE BEASTS OF THE JUNGLE 


Mugambi was wont to stretch himself in the 
shade of his shelter during the heat of the day, 
and sleep in peaceful security until the declin- 
ing sun carried with it the enervating tem- 
perature of midday. 

Watching from above, Chulk saw the black 
warrior stretched thus in the unconsciousness 
of sleep one sultry afternoon. Creeping out 
upon an overhanging branch the anthropoid 
dropped to the ground within the boma. He 
approached the sleeper upon padded feet which 
gave forth no sound, and with an uncanny wood- 
craft that rustled not a leaf or a grass blade. 

Pausing beside the man, the ape bent over 
and examined his belongings. Great as was 
the strength of Chulk there lay in the back of 
his little brain a something which deterred him 
from arousing the man to combat — a sense 
that is inherent in all of the lower orders, a 
strange fear of man, that rules even the most 
powerful of the jungle creatures at times. 

To remove Mugambi ’s loin cloth without 
awakening him would be impossible, and the 
only detachable things were the knob-stick and 
the pouch, which had fallen from the black’s 
shoulder as he rolled in sleep. 

251 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


Seizing these two articles, as better than 
nothing at all, Chnlk retreated with haste, and 
every indication of nervous terror, to the safety 
of the tree from which he had dropped, and, 
still haunted by that indefinable terror which 
the close proximity of man awakened in his 
breast, fled precipitately through the jungle. 
Aroused by attack, or supported by the pres- 
ence of another of his kind, Chulk could have 
braved the presence of a score of human be- 
ings, but alone — ah, that was a different mat- 
ter — alone, and unenraged. 

It was some time after Mugambi awoke that 
he missed the pouch. Instantly he was all 
excitement. What could have become of it? 
It had been at his side when he lay down to 
sleep — of that he was certain, for had he not 
pushed it from beneath him when its bulging 
bulk, pressing against his ribs, caused him dis- 
comfort? Yes, it had been there when he lay 
down to sleep. How then had it vanished? 

Mugambi ’s savage imagination was filled 
with visions of the spirits of departed friends 
and enemies, for only to the machinations of 
such as these could he attribute the disappear- 
ance of his pouch and knob-stick in the first 
252 


JANE AND THE BEASTS OF THE JUNGLE 


excitement of the discovery of their loss; but 
later and more careful investigation, such as 
his woodcraft made possible, revealed indis- 
putable evidence of a more material explanation 
than his excited fancy and superstition had 
at first led him to accept. 

In the trampled turf beside him was the 
faint impress of huge, manlike feet. Mugambi 
raised his brows as the truth dawned upon 
him. Hastily leaving the boma he searched in 
all directions about the enclosure for some 
further sign of the tell-tale spoor. He climbed 
trees and sought for evidence of the direc- 
tion of the thief’s flight; but the faint signs 
left by a wary ape who elects to travel through 
the trees eluded the woodcraft of Mugambi. 
Tarzan might have followed them; but no ordi- 
nary mortal could perceive them, or perceiving, 
translate. 

The black, now strengthened and refreshed 
by his rest, felt ready to set out again for Wa- 
ziri, and finding himself another knob-stick, 
turned his back upon the river and plunged 
into the mazes of the jungle. 

As Taglat struggled with the bonds which se- 
cured the ankles and wrists of his captive, the 
253 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


great lion that eyed the two from behind a 
nearby clump of bushes wormed closer to his 
intended prey. 

The ape’s hack was toward the lion. He did 
liot see the broad head, fringed by its rough 
mane, protruding through the leafy wall. He 
could not know that the powerful hind paws 
were gathering dose beneath the tawny belly 
preparatory to a sudden spring, and his first 
intimation of impending danger was the thun- 
derous and triumphant roar which the charg- 
ing lion could no longer suppress. 

Scarce pausing for a backward glance, Tag- 
lat abandoned the unconscious woman and fled 
in the opposite direction from the horrid sound 
which had broken in so unexpected and terri- 
fying a manner upon his startled ears ; but the 
warning had come too late to save him, and 
the lion, in his second bound, alighted full upon 
the broad shoulders of the anthropoid. 

As the great bull went down there was awak- 
ened in him to the full all the cunning, all the 
ferocity, all the physical prowess which obey 
the mightiest of the fundamental laws of na- 
ture, the law of self-preservation, and turning 
upon his back he closed with the carnivore in 
254 


JANE AND THE BEASTS OF THE JUNGLE 


a death straggle so fearless and abandoned, 
that for a moment the great Numa himself may 
have trembled for the outcome. 

Seizing the lion by the mane, Taglat buried 
his yellowed fangs deep in the monster’s throat, 
growling hideously through the muffled gag of 
blood and hair. Mixed with the ape’s voice 
the lion’s roars of rage and pain reverberated 
through the jungle, till the lesser creatures of 
the wild, startled from their peaceful pursuits, 
scurried fearfully away. 

Rolling over and over upon the turf the two 
battled with demoniac fury, until the colossal 
cat, by doubling his hind paws far up beneath 
his belly sank his talons deep into Taglat ’s 
chest, then, ripping downward with all his 
strength, Numa accomplished his design, and 
the disemboweled anthropoid, with a last spas- 
modic struggle, relaxed in limp and bloody dis- 
solution beneath his titanic adversary. 

Scrambling to his feet, Numa looked about 
quickly in all directions, as though seeking to 
detect the possible presence of other foes ; but 
only the still and unconscious form of the girl, 
lying a few paces from him met his gaze, and 
with an angry growl he placed a forepaw upon 
255 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


the body of his kill and raising his head gave 
voice to his savage victory cry. 

For another moment he stood with fierce eyes 
roving to and fro about the clearing. At last 
they halted for a second time upon the girl. 
A low growl rumbled from the lion’s throat. 
His lower jaw rose and fell, and the slaver 
drooled and dripped upon the dead face of 
Taglat. 

Like two yellow-green augurs, wide and un- 
blinking, the terrible eyes remained fixed upon 
Jane Clayton. The erect and majestic pose of 
the great frame shrank suddenly into a sinis- 
ter crouch as, slowly and gently as one who 
treads on eggs, the devil-faced cat crept for- 
ward toward the girl. 

Beneficent Fate maintained her in happy un- 
consciousness of the dread presence sneaking 
stealthily upon her. She did not know when 
the lion paused at her side. She did not hear 
the sniffing of his nostrils as he smelled about 
her. She did not feel the heat of the fetid 
breath upon her face, nor the dripping of the 
saliva from the frightful jaws half opened so 
close above her. 

Finally the lion lifted a forepaw and turned 
256 


JANE AND THE BEASTS OF THE JUNGLE 


the body of the girl half over, then he stood 
again eyeing her as though still undetermined 
whether life was extinct or not. Some noise 
or odor from the nearby jungle attracted his 
attention for a moment. His eyes did not again 
return to Jane Clayton, and presently he left 
her, walked over to the remains of Taglat, and 
crouching down upon his kill with his back 
toward the girl, proceeded to devour the ape. 

It was upon this scene that Jane Clayton at 
last opened her eyes. Inured to danger, she 
maintained her self-possession in the face of 
the startling surprise which her new-found con- 
sciousness revealed to her. She neither cried 
out nor moved a muscle, until she had taken 
in every detail of the scene which lay within 
the range of her vision. 

She saw that the lion had killed the ape, and 
that he was devouring his prey less than fifty 
feet from where she lay; but what could she 
do? Her hands and feet were bound. She 
must wait then, in what patience she could 
command, until Numa had eaten and digested 
the ape, when, without doubt, he would re- 
turn to feast upon her, unless, in the meantime, 
the dread hyenas should discover her, or some 
257 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


other of the numerous prowling carnivora of 
the jungle. 

As she lay tormented by these frightful 
thoughts she suddenly became conscious that 
the bonds at her wrists and ankles no longer 
hurt her, and then of the fact that her hands 
were separated, one lying upon either side of 
her, instead of both being confined at her back. 

Wonderingly she moved a hand. What mir- 
acle had been performed? It was not bound! 
Stealthily and noiselessly she moved her other 
limbs, only to discover that she was free. She 
could not know how the thing had happened, 
that Taglat, gnawing upon them for sinister 
purposes of his own, had cut them through but 
an instant before Numa had frightened him 
from his victim. 

For a moment Jane Clayton was over- 
whelmed with joy and thanksgiving ; but only 
for a moment. What good was her new-found 
liberty in the face of the frightful beast crouch- 
ing so close beside her? If she could have had 
this chance under different conditions, how 
happily she would have taken advantage of it ; 
but now it was given to her when escape was 
practically impossible. 

258 


JANE AND THE BEASTS OF THE JUNGLE 


The nearest tree was a hundred feet away, 
the lion less than fifty. To rise and attempt 
to reach the safety of those tantalizing 
branches would be but to invite instant destruc- 
tion, for Numa would doubtless be too jealous 
of this future meal to permit it to escape with 
ease. And yet, too, there was another possi- 
bility — a chance which hinged entirely upon 
the unknown temper of the great beast. 

His belly already partially filled, he might 
watch with indifference the departure of the 
girl; yet could she afford to chance so improb- 
able a contingency? She doubted it. Upon 
the other hand she was no more minded to allow 
this frail opportunity for life to entirely elude 
her without taking or attempting to take some 
advantage from it. 

She watched the lion narrowly. He could 
not see her without turning his head more than 
halfway around. She would attempt a ruse. 
Silently she rolled over in the direction of the 
nearest tree, and away from the lion, until she 
lay again in the same position in which Numa 
had left her, but a few feet farther from him. 

Here she lay breathless watching the lion; 
but the beast gave no indication that he had 
259 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


heard aught to arouse his suspicions. Again 
she rolled over, gaining a few more feet and 
again she lay in rigid contemplation of the 
beast’s back. 

During what seemed hours to her tense 
nerves, Jane Clayton continued these tactics, 
and still the lion fed on in apparent uncon- 
sciousness that his second prey was escaping 
him. Already the girl was but a few paces 
from the tree — a moment more and she would 
be close enough to chance springing to her 
feet, throwing caution aside and making a sud- 
den, bold dash for safety. She was halfway 
over in her turn, her face away from the lion, 
when he suddenly turned his great head and 
fastened his eyes upon hei. He saw her roll 
over upon her side away from him, and then 
her eyes were turned again toward him, and the 
cold sweat broke from the girl’s every pore as 
she realized that with life almost within her 
grasp, death had found her out. 

For a long time neither the girl nor the lion 
moved. The beast lay motionless, his head 
turned upon his shoulders and his glaring eyes 
fixed upon the rigid victim, now nearly fifty 
yards away. The girl stared back straight into 
260 


JANE AND THE BEASTS OF THE JUNGLE 


those cruel orbs, daring not to move even a 
muscle. 

The strain upon her nerves was becoming 
so unbearable that she could scarcely restrain 
a growing desire to scream, when Numa de- 
liberately turned back to the business of feed- 
ing; but his back-layed ears attested a sinister 
regard for the actions of the girl behind him. 

Realizing that she could not again turn with- 
out attracting his immediate and perhaps 
fatal attention, Jane Clayton resolved to risk 
all in one last attempt to reach the tree and 
clamber to the lower branches. 

Gathering herself stealthily for the effort, 
she leaped suddenly to her feet, but almost 
simultaneously the lion sprang up, wheeled and 
with wide-distended jaws and terrific roars, 
charged swiftly down upon her. 

Those who have spent lifetimes hunting the 
big game of Africa will tell you that scarcely 
any other creature in the world attains the 
speed of a charging lion. For the short dis- 
tance that the great cat can maintain it, it 
resembles nothing more closely than the on- 
rushing of a giant locomotive under full speed, 
and so, though the distance that Jane Clayton 
261 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


must cover was relatively small, the terrific 
speed of the lion rendered her hopes of escape 
almost negligible. 

Yet fear can work wonders, and though the 
upward spring of the lion as he neared the 
tree into which she was scrambling brought his 
talons in contact with her boots she eluded his 
raking grasp, and as he hurtled against the 
bole of her sanctuary, the girl drew herself into 
the safety of the branches above his reach. 

For some time the lion paced, growling and 
moaning, beneath the tree in which Jane Clay- 
ton crouched, panting and trembling. The girl 
was a prey to the nervous reaction from the 
frightful ordeal through which she had so re- 
cently passed, and in her overwrought state it 
seemed that never again should she dare 
descend to the ground among the fearsome dan- 
gers which infested the broad stretch of jungle 
that she knew must lie between herself and the 
nearest village of her faithful Waziri. 

It was almost dark before the lion finally quit 
the clearing, and even had his place beside the 
remnants of the mangled ape not been imme- 
diately usurped by a pack of hyenas, Jane Clay- 
ton would scarcely have dared venture from 
262 


JANE AND THE BEASTS OP THE JUNGLE 


her refuge in the face of impending night, and 
so she composed herself as best she could for 
the long and tiresome wait, until daylight might 
offer some means of escape from the dread vi- 
cinity in which she had witnessed such terrify- 
ing adventures. 

Tired nature at last overcame even her fears, 
and she dropped into a deep slumber, cradled 
in a comparatively safe, though rather uncom- 
fortable, position against the bole of the tree, 
and supported by two large branches which 
grew outward, almost horizontally, but a few 
inches apart. 

The sun was high in the heavens when she 
at last awoke, and beneath her was no sign 
either of Numa or the hyenas. Only the clean- 
picked bones of the ape, scattered about the 
ground, attested the fact of what had trans- 
pired in this seemingly peaceful spot but a 
few hours before. 

Both hunger and thirst assailed her now, and 
realizing that she must descend or die of starva- 
tion, she at last summoned courage to under- 
take the ordeal of continuing her journey 
through the jungle. 

Descending from the tree, she set out in a 
263 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


southerly direction, toward the point where 
she believed the plains of Waziri lay, and 
though she knew that only ruin and desolation 
marked the spot where once her happy home 
had stood, she hoped that by coming to the 
broad plain she might eventually reach one of 
the numerous Waziri villages that were scat- 
tered over the surrounding country, or chance 
upon a roving band of these indefatigable 
huntsmen. 

The day was half spent when there broke 
unexpectedly upon her startled ears the sound 
of a rifle shot not far ahead of her. As she 
paused to listen, this first shot was followed 
by another and another and another. What 
could it mean? The first explanation which 
sprung to her mind attributed the firing to an 
encounter between the Arab raiders and a party 
of Waziri; but as she did not know upon which 
side victory might rest, or whether she were 
behind friend or foe, she dared not advance 
nearer on the chance of revealing herself to an 
enemy. 

After listening for several minutes she be- 
came convinced that no more than two or three 
rifles were engaged in the fight, since nothing 
264 


JANE AND THE BEASTS OF THE JUNGLE 


approximating the sound of a volley reached 
her ears; hut still she hesitated to approach, 
and at last, determining to take no chance, she 
climbed into the concealing foliage of a tree 
beside the trail she had been following and 
there fearfully awaited whatever might reveal 
itself. 

As the firing became less rapid she caught 
the sound of men’s voices, though she could 
distinguish no words, and at last the reports 
of the guns ceased, and she heard two men call- 
ing to each other in loud tones. Then there 
was a long silence which was finally broken by 
the stealthy padding of footfalls on the trail 
ahead of her, and in another moment a man 
appeared in view backing toward her, a rifle 
ready in his hands, and his eyes directed in 
careful watchfulness along the way that he 1/ 
had come. 

Almost instantly Jane Clayton recognized the 
man as M. Jules Frecoult, who so recently had 
been a guest in her home. She was upon the 
point of calling to him in glad relief when she 
saw him leap quickly to one side and hide him- 
self in the thick verdure at the trail’s side. It 
was evident that he was being followed by an 
265 


TAEZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


enemy, and so Jane Clayton kept silence, lest 
she distract Frecoult ’s attention, or guide his 
foe to his hiding place. 

Scarcely had Frecoult hidden himself than 
the figure of a white-robed Arab crept silently 
along the trail in pursuit. From her hiding 
place, J ane Clayton could see both men plainly. 
She recognized Achmet Zek as the leader of the 
band of ruffians who had raided her home and 
made her a prisoner, and as she saw Frecoult, 
the supposed friend and ally, raise his gun and 
take careful aim at the Arab, her heart stood 
still and every power of her soul was directed 
upon a fervent prayer for the accuracy of his 
aim. 

Achmet Zek paused in the middle of the trail. 
His keen eyes scanned every bush and tree 
within the radius of his vision. His tall figure 
presented a perfect target to the perfidious 
assassin. There was a sharp report, and a 
little puff of smoke arose from the bush that hid 
the Belgian, as Achmet Zek stumbled forward 
and pitched, face down, upon the trail. 

As Werper stepped back into the trail, he was 
startled by the sound of a glad cry from above 
him, and as he wheeled about to discover the 
266 


JANE AND THE BEASTS OF THE JUNGLE 


author of this unexpected interruption, he saw 
Jane Clayton drop lightly from a nearby tree 
and run forward with outstretched hands to 
congratulate him upon his victory. 


CHAPTER XX 

JANE CLAYTON AGAIN A PRISONER 

T HOUGH her clothes were torn and her 
hair disheveled, Albert Werper realized 
that he never before had looked upon such a 
vision of loveliness as that which Lady Grey- 
stoke presented in the relief and joy which she 
felt in coming so unexpectedly upon a friend 
and rescuer when hope had seemed so far away. 

If the Belgian had entertained any doubts 
as to the woman’s knowledge of his part in the 
perfidious attack upon her home and herself, 
it was quickly dissipated by the genuine friend- 
liness of her greeting. She told him quickly 
of all that had befallen her since he had de- 
parted from her home, and as she spoke of the 
death of her husband her eyes were veiled by 
the tears which she could not repress. 

“ I am shocked,” said Werper, in well-simu- 
lated sympathy ; ‘ ‘ but I am not surprised. 
That devil there,” and he pointed toward 
the body of Achmet Zek, “ has terrorized the 
26 $ 


JANE CLAYTON AGAIN A PRISONER 


entire country. Your Waziri are either exter- 
minated, or have been driven out of their coun- 
try, far to the south. The men of Achmet Zek 
occupy the plain about your former home — 
there is neither sanctuary nor escape in that 
direction. Our only hope lies in traveling 
northward as rapidly as we may, of coming 
to the camp of the raiders before the knowledge 
of Achmet Zek’s death reaches those who were 
left there, and of obtaining, through some ruse, 
an escort toward the north. 

1 i I think that the thing can be accomplished, 
for I was a guest of the raider’s before I knew 
the nature of the man, and those at the camp 
are not aware that I turned against him when 
I discovered his villainy. 

“ Come! We will make all possible haste to 
reach the camp before those who accompanied 
Achmet Zek upon his last raid have found his 
body and carried the news of his death to the 
cut-throats who remained behind. It is our 
only hope, Lady Greystoke, and you must place 
your entire faith in me if I am to succeed. 
Wait for me here a moment while I take from 
the Arab’s body the wallet that he stole 
from me,” and Werper stepped quickly to the 
269 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


dead man’s side, and, kneeling, sought with 
quick fingers the pouch of jewels. To his con- 
sternation, there was no sign of them in the 
garments of Achmet Zek. Rising, he walked 
hack along the trail, searching for some trace 
of the missing pouch or its contents; hut he 
found nothing, even though he searched care- 
fully the vicinity of his dead horse, and for 
a few paces into the jungle on either side. Puz- 
zled, disappointed and angry, he at last re- 
turned to the girl. “ The wallet is gone,” he 
explained, crisply, * ‘ and I dare not delay longer 
in search of it. We must reach the camp before 
the returning raiders.” 

Unsuspicious of the man’s true character, 
J ane Clayton saw nothing peculiar in his plans, 
or in his specious explanation of his former 
friendship for the raider, and so she grasped 
with alacrity the seeming hope for safety which 
he proffered her, and turning about she set out 
with Albert Werper toward the hostile camp 
in which she so lately had been a prisoner. 

It was late in the afternoon of the second day 
before they reached their destination, and as 
they paused upon the edge of the clearing be- 
fore the gates of the walled village, Werper 
270 


JANE CLAYTON AGAIN A PRISONER 


cautioned the girl to accede to whatever he 
might suggest by his conversation with the 
raiders. 

“ I shall tell them,” he said, “ that I appre- 
hended you after you escaped from the camp, 
that I took you to Achmet Zek, and that as he 
was engaged in a stubborn battle with the Wa- 
ziri, he directed me to return to camp with 
you, to obtain here a sufficient guard, and to 
ride north with you as rapidly as possible and 
dispose of you at the most advantageous terms 
to a certain slave broker whose name he gave 
me,” 

Again the girl was deceived by the appar- 
ent frankness of the Belgian. She realized 
that desperate situations required desperate 
handling, and though she trembled inwardly 
at the thought of again entering the vile and 
hideous village of the raiders she saw no bet- 
ter course than that which her companion had 
suggested. 

Calling aloud to those who tended the gates, 
Werper, grasping Jane Clayton by the arm, 
walked boldly across the clearing. Those who 
opened the gates to him permitted their sur- 
prise to show clearly in their expressions. 

271 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


That the discredited and hunted lieutenant 
should be thus returning fearlessly of his own 
volition, seemed to disarm them quite as ef- 
fectually as his manner toward Lady Greystoke 
had deceived her. 

The sentries at the gate returned Werper’s 
salutations, and viewed with astonishment the 
prisoner whom he brought into the village with 
him. 

Immediately the Belgian sought the Arab 
who had been left in charge of the camp during 
Achmet Zek’s absence, and again his boldness 
disarmed suspicion and won the acceptance of 
his false explanation of his return. The fact 
that he had brought back with him the woman 
prisoner who had escaped, added strength to 
his claims, and Mohammed Beyd soon found 
himself fraternizing good-naturedly with the 
very man whom he would have slain without 
compunction had he discovered him alone in the 
jungle a half hour before. 

Jane Clayton was again confined to the prison 
hut she had formerly occupied, but as she real- 
ized that this was but a part of the deception 
which she and Frecoult were playing upon the 
credulous raiders, it was with quite a different 
272 


JANE CLAYTON AGAIN A PRISONER 


sensation that she again entered the vile and 
filthy interior, from that which she had 
previously experienced, when hope was so far 
away. 

Once more she was bound and sentries placed 
before the door of her prison ; hut before Wer- 
per left her he whispered words of cheer into 
her ear. Then he left, and made his way back 
to the tent of Mohammed Beyd. He had been 
wondering how long it would be before the 
raiders who had ridden out with Achmet Zek 
would return with the murdered body of their 
chief, and the more he thought upon the matter 
the greater his fears became, that without ac- 
complices his plan would fail. 

What, even, if he got away from the camp 
in safety before any returned with the true 
story of his guilt — of what value would this 
advantage be other than to protract for a few 
days his mental torture and his life? These 
hard riders, familiar with every trail and by- 
path, would get him long before he could hope 
to reach the coast. 

As these thoughts passed through his mind 
he entered the tent where Mohammed Beyd sat 
cross-legged upon a rug, smoking. The Arab 
273 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


looked up as the European came into his 
presence. 

“ Greetings, 0, Brother! ” he said. 

“ Greetings! ” replied Werper. 

For a while neither spoke further. The Arab 
was the first to break the silence. 

“ And my master, Achmet Zek, was' well when 
last you saw him 1 ? ” he asked. 

“ Never was he safer from the sins and 
dangers of mortality,” replied the Belgian. 

“ It is well,” said Mohammed Beyd, blow- 
ing a little puff of blue smoke straight out be- 
fore him. 

Again there was silence for several minutes. 

“ And if he were dead? ” asked the Belgian, 
determined to lead up to the truth, and attempt 
to bribe Mohammed Beyd into his service. 

The Arab’s eyes narrowed and he leaned for- 
ward, his gaze boring straight into the eyes of 
the Belgian. 

“ I have been thinking much, Werper, since 
you returned so unexpectedly to the camp of 
the man whom you had deceived, and who 
sought you with death in his heart. I have 
been with Achmet Zek for many years — his 
own mother never knew him so well as I. He 
274 


JANE CLAYTON AGAIN A PRISONER 


never forgives — much less would he again 
trust a man who had once betrayed him; that 
I know. 

“ I have thought much, as I said, and the re- 
sult of my thinking has assured me that Achmet 
Zek is dead — for otherwise you would never 
have dared return to his camp, unless you be 
either a braver man or a bigger fool than I 
have imagined. And, if this evidence of my 
judgment is not sufficient, I have but just now 
received from your own lips even more confirm- 
atory witness — for did you not say that Achmet 
Zek was never more safe from the sins and 
dangers of mortality? 

“Achmet Zek is dead — you need not deny 
it. I was not his mother, or his mistress, so 
do not fear that my wailings shall disturb you. 
Tell me why you have come back here. Tell 
me what you want, and, Werper, if you still 
possess the jewels of which Achmet Zek told 
me, there is no reason why you and I should 
not ride north together and divide the ransom 
of the white woman and the contents of the 
pouch you wear about your person. Eh ? * 9 

The evil eyes narrowed, a vicious, thin-lipped 
smile tortured the villainous face, as Mo- 
275 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


hammed Beyd grinned knowingly into the face 
of the Belgian. 

Werper was both relieved and disturbed by 
the Arab’s attitude. The complacency with 
which he accepted the death of his chief lifted 
a considerable burden of apprehension from 
the shoulders of Achmet Zek’s assassin; but his 
demand for a share of the jewels boded ill for 
Werper when Mohammed Beyd should have 
learned that the precious stones were no longer 
in the Belgian’s possession. 

To acknowledge that he had lost the jewels 
might be to arouse the wrath or suspicion of 
the Arab to such an extent as would jeopardize 
his new-found chances of escape. His one hope 
seemed, then, to lie in fostering Moha mm ed 
Beyd’s belief that the jewels were still in his 
possession, and depend upon the accidents of 
the future to open an avenue of escape. 

Could he contrive to tent with the Arab upon 
the march north, he might find opportunity in 
plenty to remove this menace to his life and 
liberty — it was worth trying, and, further, 
there seemed no other way out of his difficulty. 

“ Yes,” he said, “ Achmet Zek is dead. He 
fell in battle with a company of Abyssinian 
276 


JANE CLAYTON AGAIN A PRISONER 


cavalry that held me captive. During the fight- 
ing I escaped; but I doubt if any of Achmet 
Zelris men live, and the gold they sought is in 
the possession of the Abyssinians. Even now 
they are doubtless marching on this camp, for 
they were sent by Menelek to punish Achmet 
Zek and his followers for a raid upon an Abys- 
sinian village. There are many of them, and 
if we do not make haste to escape we shall all 
suffer the same fate as Achmet Zek.” 

Mohammed Beyd listened in silence. How 
much of the unbeliever’s story he might safely 
believe he did not know; but as it afforded him 
an excuse for deserting the village and making 
for the north he was not inclined to cross-ques- 
tion the Belgian too minutely. 

“ And if I ride north with you,” he asked, 
“half the jewels and half the ransom of the 
woman shall be mine? ” 

“ Yes,” replied Werper. 

“ Good,” said Mohammed Beyd. “ I go now 
to give the order for the breaking of camp early 
on the morrow,” and he rose to leave the tent. 

Werper laid a detaining hand upon his arm. 

“Wait,” he said, “let us determine how 
many shall accompany us. It is not well that we 
277 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


be burdened by the women and children, for 
then indeed we might be overtaken by the Abys- 
sinians. It would be far better to select a small 
guard of your bravest men, and leave word be- 
hind that we are riding west. Then, when the 
Abyssinians come they will be put upon the 
wrong trail should they have it in their hearts 
to pursue us, and if they do not they will at 
least ride north with less rapidity than as 
though they thought that we were ahead of 
them.” 

“The serpent is less wise than thou, Wer- 
per,” said Mohammed Beyd with a smile. “ It 
shall be done as you say. Twenty men shall ac- 
company us, and we shall ride west — when we 
leave the village. ’ ’ 

“ Good,” cried the Belgian, and so it was ar- 
ranged. 

Early the next morning Jane Clayton, after 
an almost sleepless night, was aroused by the 
sound of voices outside her prison, and a mo- 
ment later, M. Frecoult, and two Arabs en- 
tered. The latter unbound her ankles and lifted 
her to her feet. Then her wrists were loosed, 
she was given a handful of dry bread, and led 
out into the faint light of dawn. 

278 


JANE CLAYTON AGAIN A PRISONER 


She looked questioningly at Frecoult, and at 
a moment that the Arab’s attention was at- 
tracted in another direction the man leaned 
toward her and whispered that all was working 
out as he had planned. Thus assured, the young 
woman felt a renewal of the hope which the 
long and miserable night of bondage had al- 
most expunged. 

Shortly after, she was lifted to the back of a 
horse, and surrounded by Arabs, was escorted 
through the gateway of the village and off into 
the jungle toward the west. Half an hour later 
the party turned north, and northerly was their 
direction for the balance of the march. 

M. Frecoult spoke with her but seldom, and 
she understood that in carrying out his decep- 
tion he must maintain the semblance of her cap- 
tor, rather than protector, and so she suspected 
nothing though she saw the friendly relations 
which seemed to exist between the European 
and the Arab leader of the band. 

If Werper succeeded in keeping himself from 
conversation with the young woman, he failed 
signally to expel her from his thoughts. A hun- 
dred times a day he found his eyes wandering 
in her direction and feasting themselves upon 
279 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


her charms of face and figure. Each hour his 
infatuation for her grew, until his desire to pos- 
sess her gained almost the proportions of mad- 
ness. 

If either the girl or Mohammed Beyd could 
have guessed what passed in the mind of the 
man which each thought a friend and ally, the 
apparent harmony of the little company would 
have been rudely disturbed. 

Werper had not succeeded in arranging to 
tent with Mohammed Beyd, and so he revolved 
many plans for the assassination of the Arab 
that would have been greatly simplified had he 
been permitted to share the other’s nightly 
shelter. 

Upon the second day out Mohammed Beyd 
reined his horse to the side of the animal on 
which the captive was mounted. It was, ap- 
parently, the first notice which the Arab had 
taken of the girl ; but many times during these 
two days had his cunning eyes peered greedily 
from beneath the hood of his burnoose to gloat 
upon the beauties of the prisoner. 

Nor was this hidden infatuation of any re- 
cent origin. He had conceived it when first the 
wife of the Englishman had fallen into the 
280 


JANE CLAYTON AGAIN A PRISU- 


hands of Achmet Zek; but while that austere 
chieftain lived, Mohammed Beyd had not even 
dared hope for a realization of his imaginings^ 
Now, though, it was different — only a de=. 
spised dog of a Christian stood between hinn 
self and possession of the girl. How easy it 
would be to slay the unbeliever, and take unto 
himself both the woman and the jewels! With 
the latter in his possession, the ransom which 
might be obtained for the captive would form 
no great inducement to her relinquishment in 
the face of the pleasures of sole ownership of 
her. Yes, he would kill Werper, retain all the 
jewels and keep the Englishwoman. 

He turned his eyes upon her as she rode along 
at his side. How beautiful she was ! His fin- 
gers opened and closed — skinny, brown talons 
itching to feel the soft flesh of the victim in 
their remorseless clutch. 

“Do you know,” he asked, leaning toward 
her, “ where this man would take you? ” 

Jane Clayton nodded affirmatively. 

' < 6 And you are willing to become the play- 
thing of a black sultan? ” 

The girl drew herself up to her full height, 
and turned her head away; but she did not re- 
281 


,AN AND THE JEWELS OF OP A B 


ply. She feared lest her knowledge of the ruse 
that M. Frecoult was playing upon the Arab 
might cause her to betray herself through an in- 
sufficient display of terror and aversion. 

“You can escape this fate,” continued the 
Arab; “ Mohammed Beyd will save you,” and 
he reached out a brown hand and seized the 
fingers of her right hand in a grasp so sudden 
and so fierce that his brutal passion was re- 
vealed as clearly in the act as though his lips 
had confessed it in words. 

J ane Clayton wrenched herself from his 
grasp. 

“ You beast! ” she cried. “ Leave me or I 
shall call M. Frecoult.” 

Mohammed Beyd drew back with a scowl. 
His thin, upper lip curled upward, revealing 
his smooth, white teeth. 

“M. Frecoult!” he jeered. “There is no 
such person. The man’s name is Werper. He 
is a liar, a thief, and a murderer. He killed 
his fcaptain in the Congo country and fled to 
the protection of Achmet Zek. He led Ach- 
met Zek to the plunder of your home. He fol- 
lowed your husband, and planned to steal his 
gold from him. He has told me that you think 
282 


JANE CLAYTON AGAIN A PRISONER 


him your protector, and he has played upon this 
to win your confidence that it might be easier 
to carry you north and sell you into some black 
sultan ’s harem. Mohammed Beyd is your only 
hope,” and with this assertion to provide the 
captive with food for thought, the Arab spurred 
forward toward the head of the column. 

Jane Clayton could not know how much of 
Mohammed Beyd’s indictment might be true, 
or how much false ; but at least it had the effect 
of dampening her hopes and causing her to re- 
view with suspicion every past act of the man 
upon whom she had been looking as her sole 
protector in the midst of a world of enemies 
and dangers. 

On the march a separate tent had been pro- 
vided for the captive, and at night it was pitched 
between those of Mohammed Beyd and Werper. 
A sentry was posted at the front and another at 
the back, and with these precautions it had not 
been thought necessary to confine the prisoner 
in bonds. 

The evening following her interview with Mo- 
hammed Beyd, Jane Clayton sat for some time 
at the opening of her tent watching the rough 
activities of the camp. She had eaten the meal 
283 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


that had been brought her by Mohammed 
Beyd’s negro slave — a meal of cassava cakes 
and a nondescript stew in which a new-killed 
monkey, a couple of squirrels and the remains of 
a zebra, slain the previous day, were impar- 
tially and unsavorily combined; but the one- 
time Baltimore belle had long since submerged 
in the stern battle for existence, an estheticism 
which formerly revolted at much slighter 
provocation. 

As the girl’s eyes wandered across the tram- 
pled jungle clearing, already squalid from the 
presence of man, she no longer apprehended 
either the nearer objects of the foreground, the 
uncouth men laughing or quarreling among 
themselves, or the jungle beyond, which circum- 
scribed the extreme range of her material 
vision. Her gaze passed through all these, un- 
seeing, to center itself upon a distant bunga- 
low and scenes of happy security which brought 
to her eyes tears of mingled joy and sorrow. 
She saw a tall, broad-shouldered man riding 
In from distant fields ; she saw herself waiting 
to greet him with an armful of fresh-eut roses 
from the bushes which flanked the little rustic 
gate before her. All this was gone, vanished 
284 


JANE CLAYTON AGAIN A PRISONER 


into the past, wiped out by the torches and 
bullets and hatred of these hideous and de- 
generate men. With a stifled sob, and a lit- 
tle shudder, Jane Clayton turned back into her 
tent and sought the pile of unclean blankets 
which were her bed. Throwing herself face 
downward upon them she sobbed forth her mis- 
ery until kindly sleep brought her, at least tem- 
porary, relief. 

And while she slept a figure stole from the 
tent that stood to the right of hers. It ap- 
proached the sentry before the doorway and 
whispered a few words in the man’s ear. The 
latter nodded, and strode off through the dark- 
ness in the direction of his own blankets. The 
figure passed to the rear of Jane Clayton’s 
tent and spoke again to the sentry there, and 
this man also left, following in the trail of the 
first. 

Then he who had sent them away stole 
silently to the tent flap and untying the fasten- 
ings entered with the noiselessness of a disem- 
bodied spirit. 


285 


CHAPTER XXI 


THE FLIGHT TO THE JUNGLE 

S LEEPLESS upon his blankets, Albert Wer- 
per let his evil mind dwell upon the charms 
of the woman in the nearby tent. He had noted 
Mohammed Beyd’s sudden interest in the girl, 
and judging the man by his own standards, had 
guessed at the basis of the Arab’s sudden 
change of attitude toward the prisoner. 

And as he let his imaginings run riot they 
aroused within him a bestial jealousy of Mo- 
hammed Beyd, and a great fear that the other 
might encompass his base designs upon the de- 
fenseless girl. By a strange process of reason- 
ing, Werper, whose designs were identical with 
the Arab’s, pictured himself as Jane Clayton’s 
protector, and presently convinced himself that 
the attentions which might seem hideous to her 
if proffered by Mohammed Beyd, would be wel- 
comed from Albert Werper. 

Her husband was dead, and Werper fancied 
that he could replace in the girl’s heart the po- 
286 


THE FLIGHT TO THE JUNGLE 


sition which had been vacated by the act of 
the grim reaper. He could offer Jane Clayton 
marriage — a thing which Mohammed Beyd 
would not offer, and which the girl would spurn 
from him with as deep disgust as she would his 
unholy lust. 

It was not long before the Belgian had suc« 
ceeded in convincing himself that the captive 
not only had every reason for having conceived 
sentiments of love for him ; but that she had by 
various feminine methods acknowledged her 
new-born affection. 

And then a sudden resolution possessed him. 
He threw the blankets from him and rose to his 
feet. Pulling on his boots and buckling his cart- 
ridge belt and revolver about his hips he 
stepped to the flap of his tent and looked out. 
There was no sentry before the entrance to 
the prisoner’s tent ! What could it mean? Fate 
was indeed playing into his hands. 

Stepping outside he passed to the rear of the 
girl’s tent. There was no sentry there, either! 
And now, boldly, he walked to the entrance and 
stepped within. 

Dimly the moonlight illumined the interior. 
Across the tent a figure bent above the blankets 
287 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


of a bed. There was a whispered word, and an- 
other figure rose from the blankets to a sitting 
position. Slowly Albert Werper’s eyes were 
becoming accustomed to the half darkness of 
the tent. He saw that the figure leaning over 
the bed was that of a man, and he guessed at 
the truth of the nocturnal visitor’s identity. 

A sullen, jealous rage enveloped him. He 
took a step in the direction of the two. He 
heard a frightened cry break from the girl’s 
lips as she recognized the features of the man 
above her, and he saw Mohammed Beyd seize 
her by the throat and bear her back upon the 
blankets. 

Cheated passion cast a red blur before the 
eyes of the Belgian. No ! The man should not 
have her. She was for him and him alone. He 
would not be robbed of his rights. 

Quickly he ran across the tent and threw him- 
self upon the back of Mohammed Beyd. The 
latter, though surprised by this sudden and un- 
expected attack, was not one to give up with- 
out a battle. The Belgian’s fingers were feel- 
ing for his throat, but the Arab tore them away, 
and rising wheeled upon his adversary. As 
they faced each other Werper struck the Arab 
288 


THE FLIGHT TO THE JUNGLE 


a heavy blow in the face, sending him stagger- 
ing backward. If he had followed up his ad- 
vantage he would have had Mohammed Beyd 
at his mercy in another moment; but instead 
he tugged at his revolver to draw it from its 
holster, and Fate ordained that at that par- 
ticular moment the weapon should stick in its 
leather scabbard. 

Before he could disengage it, Mohammed 
Beyd had recovered himself and was dashing 
upon him. Again Werper struck the other in 
the face, and the Arab returned the blow. Strik- 
ing at each other and ceaselessly attempting to 
clinch, the two battled about the small interior 
of the tent, while the girl, wide-eyed in terror 
and astonishment, watched the duel in frozen 
silence. 

Again and again Werper struggled to draw 
his weapon. Mohammed Beyd, anticipating no 
such opposition to his base desires, had come to 
the tent unarmed, except for a long knife which 
he now drew as he stood panting during the first 
brief rest of the encounter. 

“ Dog of a Christian,’ ’ he whispered, “ look 
upon this knife in the hands of Mohammed 
Beyd ! Look well, unbeliever, for it is the last 
289 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


thing in life that yon shall see or feel. With 
it Mohammed Beyd will cut out your black 
heart. If you have a God pray to him now — 
in a minute more you shall be dead,” and with 
that he rushed viciously upon the Belgian, his 
knife raised high above his head. 

Werper was still dragging futilely at his wea- 
pon. The Arab was almost upon him. In 
desperation the European waited until Moham- 
med Beyd was all but against him, then he threw 
himself to one side to the floor of the tent, leav- 
ing a leg extended in the path of the Arab. 

The trick succeeded. Mohammed Beyd, car- 
ried on by the momentum of his charge, stum- 
bled over the projecting obstacle and crashed to 
the ground. Instantly he was up again and 
wheeling to renew the battle; but Werper was 
on foot ahead of him, and now his revolver, loos- 
ened from its holster, flashed in his hand. 

The Arab dove headfirst to grapple with him, 
there was a sharp report, a lurid gleam of flame 
in the darkness, and Mohammed Beyd rolled 
over and over upon the floor to come to a final 
rest beside the bed of the woman he had sought 
to dishonor. 

Almost immediately following the report 
290 


THE FLIGHT TO THE JUNGLE 


came the sound of excited voices in the camp 
without. Men were calling back and forth to 
one another asking the meaning of the shot. 
Werper could hear them running hither and 
thither, investigating. 

Jane Clayton had risen to her feet as the 
Arab died, and now she came forward with out- 
stretched hands toward Werper. 

“How can I ever thank you, my friend? ” 
she asked. “And to think that only today I 
had almost believed the infamous story which 
this beast told me of your perfidy and of your 
past. Forgive me, M. Frecoult. I might have 
known that a white man and a gentleman could 
be naught else than the protector of a woman 
of his own race amid the dangers of this savage 
land.” 

Werper ’s hands dropped limply at his sides. 
He stood looking at the girl ; but he could find 
no words to reply to her. Her innocent arraign- 
ment of his true purposes was unanswerable. 

Outside, the Arabs were searching for the 
author of the disturbing shot. The two sen- 
tries who had been relieved and sent to their 
blankets by Mohammed Beyd were the first to 
suggest going to the tent of the prisoner. It 
291 


TABZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 

occurred to them that possibly the woman had 
successfully defended herself against their 
leader. 

Werper heard the men approaching. To be 
apprehended as the slayer of Mohammed Beyd 
would be equivalent to a sentence of immediate 
death. The fierce and brutal raiders would tear 
to pieces a Christian who had dared spill the 
blood of their leader. He must find some ex- 
cuse to delay the finding of Mohammed Beyd’s 
dead body. 

Returning his revolver to its holster, he 
walked quickly to the entrance of the tent. 
Parting the flaps he stepped out and confronted 
the men, who were rapidly approaching. Some- 
how he found within him the necessary bravado 
to force a smile to his lips, as he held up his 
hand to bar their farther progress. 

“ The woman resisted ,’ 7 he said, “ and Mo- 
hammed Beyd was forced to shoot her. She is 
not dead — only slightly wounded. You may 
go back to your blankets. Mohammed Beyd 
and I will look after the prisoner;” then he 
turned and re-entered the tent, and the raid- 
ers, satisfied by this explanation, gladly re- 
turned to their broken slumbers. 

292 . 


THE FLIGHT TO THE JUNGLE 


As lie again faced Jane Clayton, Werper 
found himself animated by quite different in- 
tentions than those which had lured him from 
his blankets but a few minutes before. The ex- 
citement of his encounter with Mohammed 
Beyd, as well as the dangers which he now 
faced at the hands of the raiders when morn- 
ing must inevitably reveal the truth of what 
had occurred in the tent of the prisoner that 
night, had naturally cooled the hot passion 
which had dominated him when he entered the 
tent. 

But another and stronger force was exert- 
ing itself in the girl’s favor. However low a 
man may sink, honor and chivalry, has he ever 
possessed them, are never entirely eradicated 
from his character, and though Albert Werper 
had long since ceased to evidence the slightest 
claim to either the one or the other, the spon- 
taneous acknowledgment of them which the 
girl's speech had presumed had reawakened 
them both within him. 

For the first time he realized the almost hope- 
less and frightful position of the fair captive, 
and the depths of ignominy to which he had 
sunk, that had made it possible for him, a well- 
293 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


bora, European gentleman, to have entertained 
even for a moment the part that he had taken 
in the ruin of her home, happiness, and herself. 

Too much of baseness already lay at the 
threshold of his conscience for him ever to hope 
entirely to redeem himself; but in the fir&t, 
sudden burst of contrition the man conceived 
an honest intention to undo, in so far as lay 
within his power, the evil that his criminal 
avarice had brought upon this sweet and un- 
offending woman. 

As he stood apparently listening to the 
retreating footsteps of the Arabs, though actu- 
ally engrossed in thought, Jane Clayton ap- 
proached him. 

“What are we to do now! ” she asked. 
“Morning will bring discovery of this,” and 
she pointed to the still body of Mohammed 
Beyd. “ They will kill you when they find 
him.” 

For a time Werper did not reply, then he 
turned suddenly toward the woman. 

“ I have a plan,” he cried. “ It will require 
nerve and courage on your part ; but you have 
already shown that you possess both. Can 
you endure still more! ” 

294 


THE FLIGHT TO THE JUNGLE 


“I can endure anything,” she replied with 
a brave smile, “ that may offer us even a slight 
chance for escape.” 

“ You must simulate death,” he explained, 
“ while I carry you from the camp. I will 
explain to the sentries that Mohammed Beyd 
has ordered me to take your body into the jun- 
gle. This seemingly unnecessary act I shall 
explain upon the grounds that Mohammed 
Beyd had conceived a violent passion for you 
and that he so regretted the act by which he 
had become your slayer that he could not en- 
dure the silent reproach of your lifeless body.” 

The girl held up her hand to stop. A smile 
touched her lips. 

“ Are you quite mad? ” she asked. “ Do you 
imagine that the sentries will credit any such 
ridiculous tale? ” 

1 4 You do not know them,” he replied. “ Be- 
neath their rough exteriors, despite their cal- 
loused and criminal natures, there exists in 
each a well-defined strain of romantic emotion- 
alism — you will find it among such as these 
throughout the world. It is romance which 
lures men to lead wild lives of outlawry and 
crime. The ruse will succeed — never fear.” 

295 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


Jane Clayton shrugged. “We can but try 
it — and then what? ” 

“ I shall hide you in the jungle,” continued 
the Belgian, i 6 coming for you alone and with 
two horses in the morning.” 

i ‘But how will you explain Mohammed 
Beyd’s death?” she asked. “It will be dis- 
covered before ever you can escape the camp 
in the morning.” 

“ I shall not explain it,” replied Werper. 
“Mohammed Beyd shall explain it himself — 
we must leave that to him. Are you ready for 
the venture? ” 

“Yes.” 

“ But wait, I must get you a weapon and am- 
munition,” and Werper walked quickly from 
the tent. 

Very shortly he returned with an extra 
revolver and ammunition belt strapped about 
his waist 

“ Are you ready? ” he asked. 

“Quite ready,” replied the girl. 

i 6 Then come and throw yourself limply 
across my left shoulder,” and Werper knelt to 
receive her. 

“There,” he said, as he rose to his feet 
296 


THE FLIGHT TO THE JUNGLE 


“ Now, let your arms, your legs and your head 
hang limply. Remember that you are dead.” 

A moment later the man walked out into the 
camp, the body of the woman across his shoul- 
der. 

A thorn boma had been thrown up about the 
camp, to discourage the bolder of the hungry 
carnivora. A couple of sentries paced to and 
fro in the light of a fire which they kept burn- 
ing brightly. The nearer of these looked up in 
surprise as he saw Werper approaching. 

“Who are you?” he cried. * ‘What have 
you there? ” 

Werper raised the hood of his burnoose that 
the fellow might see his face. 

“This is the body of the woman,” he ex- 
plained. “ Mohammed Beyd has asked me to 
take it into the jungle, for he cannot bear to 
look upon the face of her whom he loved, and 
whom necessity compelled him to slay. He suf- 
fers greatly — he is inconsolable. It was with 
difficulty that I prevented him taking his own 
life.” 

Across the speaker’s shoulder, limp and 
frightened, the girl waited for the Arab’s re- 
ply. He would laugh at this preposterous 
297 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


story; of that she was sure. In an instant he 
would nnmask the deception that M. Freconlt 
was attempting to practice npon him, and they 
would both be lost She tried to plan how best 
she might aid her wonld-be rescuer in the fight 
which must most certainly follow within a mo- 
ment or two. 

Then she heard the voice of the Arab as he 
replied to M. Frecoult. 

“Are you going alone, or do you wish me 
to awaken someone to accompany you? ” he 
asked, and his tone denoted not the least sur- 
prise that Mohammed Beyd had suddenly dis- 
covered such remarkably sensitive characteris- 
istics. 

“I shall go alone,’ ’ replied Werper, and he 
passed on and out through the narrow open- 
ing in the boma, by which the sentry stood. 

A moment later he had entered among the 
boles of the trees with his burden, and when 
safely hidden from the sentry’s view lowered 
the girl to her feet, with a low, “ Sh-sh,” when 
she would have spoken. 

Then he led her a little farther into the for- 
est, halted beneath a large tree with spread- 
ing branches, buckled a cartridge belt and 
298 


THE FLIGHT TO THE JUNGLE 


revolver about her waist, and assisted her to 
clamber into the lower branches. 

“ Tomorrow,’ ’ he whispered, “ as soon as I 
can elude them, I will return for you. Be brave, 
Lady Grey stoke — we may yet escape.” 

“Thank you,” she replied in a low tone* 
“You have been very kind, and very brave.” 

Werper did not reply, and the darkness of 
the night hid the scarlet flush of shame which 
swept upward across his face. Quickly he 
turned and made his way back to camp. The 
sentry, from his post, saw him enter his own 
tent; but he did not see him crawl under the 
canvas at the rear and sneak cautiously to 
the tent which the prisoner had occupied, where 
now lay the dead body of Mohammed Beyd. 

Raising the lower edge of the rear wall, Wer- 
per crept within and approached the corpse. 
Without an instant’s hesitation he seized the 
dead wrists and dragged the body upon its back 
to the point where he had just entered. On 
hands and knees he backed out as he had come 
in, drawing the corpse after him. Once outside 
the Belgian crept to the side of the tent and 
surveyed as much of the camp as lay within his 
vision — no one was watching. 

299 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OP OPAR 


Returning to the body, he lifted it to his 
shoulder, and risking all on a quick sally, ran 
swiftly across the narrow opening which sepa- 
rated the prisoner’s tent from that of the dead 
man. Behind the silken wall he halted and 
lowered his burden to the ground, and there he 
remained motionless for several minutes, lis- 
tening. 

Satisfied, at last, that no one had seen him, 
he stooped and raised the bottom of the tent 
wall, backed in and dragged the thing that had 
been Mohammed Beyd after him. To the sleep- 
ing rugs of the dead raider he drew the corpse, 
then he fumbled about in the darkness until he 
had found Mohammed Beyd’s revolver. With 
the weapon in his hand he returned to the side 
of the dead man, kneeled beside the bedding, 
and inserting his right hand with the weapon 
beneath the rugs, piled a number of thicknesses 
of the closely woven fabric over and about the 
revolver with his left hand. Then he pulled 
the trigger, and at the same instant he coughed. 

The muffled report could not have been heard 
above the sound of his cough by one directly 
outside the tent. Werper was satisfied. A 
grim smile touched his lips as he withdrew the 
300 


THE FLIGHT TO THE JUNGLE 


weapon from the rugs and placed it carefully 
in the right hand of the dead man, fixing three 
of the fingers around the grip and the index 
finger inside the trigger guard. 

A moment longer he tarried to rearrange the 
disordered rugs, and then he left as he had en- 
tered, fastening down the rear wall of the tent 
as it had been before he had raised it. 

Going to the tent of the prisoner he removed 
there also the evidence that someone might 
have come or gone beneath the rear wall. Then 
he returned to his own tent, entered, fastened 
down the canvas, and crawled into his blankets. 

The following morning he was awakened by 
the excited voice of Mohammed Beyd’s slave 
calling to him at the entrance of his tent. 

6 6 Quick ! Quick ! ’ 9 cried the black in a fright- 
ened tone. i ‘ Come ! Mohammed Beyd is dead 
in his tent — dead by his own hand.” 

Werper sat up quickly in his blankets at the 
first alarm, a startled expression upon his coun- 
tenance; but at the last words of the black a 
sigh of relief escaped his lips and a slight 
smile replaced the tense lines upon his face. 

“ I come,” he called to the slave, and draw- 
ing on his boots, rose and went out of his tent. 

SOI 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


Excited Arabs and blacks were running from 
all parts of the camp toward the silken tent of 
Mohammed Beyd, and when Werper entered he 
found a number of the raiders crowded about 
the corpse, now cold and stiff. 

Shouldering his way among them, the Belgian 
halted beside the dead body of the raider. He 
looked down in silence for a moment upon the 
still face, then he wheeled upon the Arabs. 

“ Who has done this thing? 99 he cried. His 
tone was both menacing and accusing. “ Who 
has murdered Mohammed Beyd? 99 

A sudden chorus of voices arose in tumultu- 
ous protest. 

u Mohammed Beyd was not murdered / 9 they 
cried. “ He died by his own hand. This, and 
Allah, are our witnesses / 9 and they pointed to 
a revolver in the dead man's hand. 

For a time Werper pretended to be skeptical; 
but at last permitted himself to be convinced 
that Mohammed Beyd had indeed killed him- 
self in remorse for the death of the white 
woman he had, all unknown to his followers, 
loved so devotedly. 

Werper himself wrapped the blankets of the 
dead man about the corpse, taking care to fold 
302 


THE FLIGHT TO THE JUNGLE 


inward the scorched and bullet-torn fabric that 
had muffled the report of the weapon he had 
fired the night before. Then six husky blacks 
carried the body out into the clearing where 
the camp stood, and deposited it in a shallow 
grave. As the loose earth fell upon the silent 
form beneath the tell-tale blankets, Albert Wer- 
per heaved another sigh of relief — his plan 
had worked out even better than he had dared 
hope. 

With Achmet Zek and Mohammed Beyd both 
dead, the raiders were without a leader, and 
after a brief conference they decided to return 
into the north on visits to the various tribes 
to which they belonged. Werper, after learning 
the direction they intended taking, announced 
that for his part, he was going east to the coast, 
and as they knew of nothing he possessed which 
any of them coveted, they signified their willing- 
ness that he should go his way. 

As they rode off, he sat his horse in the cen- 
ter of the clearing watching them disappear one 
by one into the jungle, and thanked his God that 
he had at last escaped their villainous clutches. 

When he could no longer hear any sound of 
them, he turned to the right and rode into the 
303 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


forest toward the tree where he had hidden 
Lady Greystoke, and drawing rein beneath it, 
called np in a gay and hopeful voice a pleasant, 
“ Good morning! ” 

There was no reply, and though his eyes 
searched the thick foliage above him, he could 
see no sign of the girl. Dismounting, he quick- 
ly climbed into the tree, where he could ob- 
tain a view of all its branches. The tree was 
empty — Jane Clayton had vanished during the 
silent watches of the jungle night 


CHAPTER XXII 

TARZAN RECOVERS HIS REASON 

A S TARZAN let the pebbles from the recov- 
- ered pouch run through his ingers, his 
thoughts returned to the pile of yellow ingots 
about which the Arabs and the Abyssinians had 
waged their relentless battle. 

What was there in common between that pile 
of dirty metal and the beautiful, sparkling peb 
bles that had formerly been in his pouch! 
What was the metal! From whence had it 
come! What was that tantalizing half-convic- 
tion which seemed to demand the recognition of 
his memory that the yellow pile for which these 
men had fought and died had been intimately 
connected with his past — - that it had been his ! 

What had been his past! He shook his head. 
Vaguely the memory of his apish childhood 
passed slowly in review — then came a strange- 
ly tangled mass of faces, figures and events 
which seemed to have no relation to Tarzan of 
the Apes, and yet which were, even in their 
fragmentary form, familiar. 

m 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OP OPAR 


Slowly and painfully, recollection was at- 
tempting to reassert itself, the hurt brain was 
mending, as the cause of its recent failure to 
function was being slowly absorbed or removed 
by the healing processes of perfect circula- 
tion. 

The people who now passed before his mind’s 
eye for the first time in weeks wore familiar 
faces; but yet he could neither place them in 
the niches they had once filled in his past life, 
nor call them by name. One was a fair she, 
and it was her face which most often moved 
through the tangled recollections of his conva- 
lescing brain. Who was she? What had she 
been to Tarzan of the Apes? He seemed to 
see her about the very spot upon which the 
pile of gold had been unearthed by the Abys- 
sinians ; but the surroundings were vastly dif- 
ferent from those which now obtained. 

There was a building — there were many 
buildings — and there were hedges, fences, and 
flowers. Tarzan puckered his brow in puzzled 
study of the wonderful problem. For an in- 
stant he seemed to grasp the whole of a true 
explanation, and then, just as success was 
within his grasp, the picture faded into a jun- 
306 


TARZAN RECOVERS HIS REASON 


gle scene where a naked, white youth danced 
in company with a band of hairy, primordial 
ape-things. 

Tarzan shook his head and sighed. Why 
was it that he could not recollect? At least he 
was sure that in some way the pile of gold, the 
place where it lay, the subtle aroma of the elu- 
sive she he had been pursuing, the memory fig- 
ure of the white woman, and he, himself, were 
inextricably connected by the ties of a forgotten 
past. 

If the woman belonged there, what better 
place to search or await her than the very spot 
which his broken recollections seemed to as- 
sign to her? It was worth trying. Tarzan 
slipped the thong of the empty pouch over his 
shoulder and started off through the trees in 
the direction of the plain. 

At the outskirts of the forest he met the 
Arabs returning in search of Achmet Zek. Hid- 
ing, he let them pass, and then resumed his way 
toward the charred ruins of the home he had 
been almost upon the point of recalling to his 
memory. 

His journey across the plain was interrupted 
by the discovery of a small herd of antelope in 
307 


TAEZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAE 


a little swale, where the cover and the wind 
were well combined to make stalking easy. A 
fat yearling rewarded a half hour of stealthy 
creeping and a sudden, savage rush, and it was 
late in the afternoon when the ape-man settled 
himself upon his haunches beside his kill to 
enjoy the fruits of his skill, his cunning, and his 
prowess. 

His hunger satisfied, thirst next claimed his 
attention. The river lured him by the shortest 
path toward its refreshing waters, and when 
he had drunk, night already had fallen and he 
was some half mile or more down stream from 
the point where he had seen the pile of yellow 
ingots, and where he hoped to meet the memory 
woman, or find some clew to her whereabouts or 
her identity. 

To the jungle bred, time is usually a matter 
of small moment, and haste, except when en- 
gendered by terror, by rage, or by hunger, is 
distasteful. Today was gone. Therefore to- 
morrow, of which there was an infinite proces- 
sion, would answer admirably for Tarzan’s fur~ 
ther quest. And, besides, the ape-man was tired 
and would sleep. 

A tree afforded him the safety, seclusion and 


TARZAN RECOVERS HIS REASON 


comforts of a well-appointed bedchamber, and 
to the chorus of the hunters and the hunted of 
the wild river bank he soon dropped off into 
deep slumber. 

Morning found him both hungry and thirsty 
again, and dropping from his tree he made his 
way to the drinking place at the river’s edge. 
There he found Numa, the lion, ahead of him. 
The big fellow was lapping the water greed- 
ily, and at the approach of Tarzan along the 
trail in his rear, he raised his head, and turn- 
ing his gaze backward across his maned shoul- 
ders glared at the intruder. A low growl of 
warning rumbled from his throat; but Tarzan, 
guessing that the beast had but just quitted 
his kill and was well filled, merely made a slight 
detour and continued to the river, where he 
stopped a few yards above the tawny cat, and 
dropping upon his hands and knees plunged his 
face into the cool water. For a moment the 
lion continued to eye the man ; then he resumed 
his drinking, and man and beast quenched their 
thirst side by side each apparently oblivious of 
the other’s presence. 

Numa was the first to finish. Eaising his 
head, he gazed across the river for a few min- 
309 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OP OPAR 


utes with that stony fixity of attention which is 
a characteristic of his kind. But for the ruf- 
fling of his black mane to the touch of the pass- 
ing breeze he might have been wrought from 
golden bronze, so motionless, so statuesque his 
pose. 

A deep sigh from the cavernous lungs dis- 
pelled the illusion. The mighty head swung 
slowly around until the yellow eyes rested upon 
the man. The bristled lip curved upward, ex- 
posing yellow fangs. Another warning growl 
vibrated the heavy jowls, and the king of 
beasts turned majestically about and paced 
slowly up the trail into the dense reeds. 

Tarzan of the Apes drank on, but from the 
corners of his gray eyes he watched the great 
brute’s every move until he had disappeared 
from view, and, after, his keen ears marked 
the movements of the carnivore. 

A plunge in the river was followed by a scant 
breakfast of eggs which chance discovered to 
him, and then he set off up river toward the 
ruins of the bungalow where the golden ingots 
had marked the center of yesterday’s battle. 

And when he came upon the spot, great was 
his surprise and consternation, for the yellow 
310 


TARZAN RECOVERS HIS REASON 


metal had disappeared. The earth, trampled 
by the feet of horses and men, gave no clew. It 
was as though the ingots had evaporated into 
thin air. 

The ape-man was at a loss to know where 
to turn or what next to do. There was no sign 
of any spoor which might denote that the she 
had been here. The metal was gone, and if 
there was any connection between the she and 
the metal it seemed useless to wait for her now 
that the latter had been removed elsewhere. 

Everything seemed to elude him — the pretty 
pebbles, the yellow metal, the she, his memory. 
Tarzan was disgusted. He would go back into 
the jungle and look for Chulk, and so he turned 
his steps once more toward the forest. He 
moved rapidly, swinging across the plain in a 
long, easy trot, and at the edge of the forest, 
taking to the trees with the agility and speed 
of a small monkey. 

His direction was aimless — he merely raced 
on and on through the jungle, the joy of unfet- 
tered action his principal urge, with the hope 
of stumbling upon some clew to Chulk or the 
she, a secondary incentive. 

For two days he roamed about, killing, eat- 
311 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


ing, drinking and sleeping wherever inclination 
and the means to indulge it occurred simulta- 
neously. It was upon the morning of the third 
day that the scent spoor of horse and man were 
wafted faintly to his nostrils. Instantly he al- 
tered his course to glide silently through the 
branches in the direction from which the scent 
came. 

It was not long before he came upon a soli- 
tary horseman riding toward the east. In- 
stantly his eyes confirmed what his nose had 
previously suspected — the rider was he who 
had stolen his pretty pebbles. The light of 
rage flared suddenly in the gray eyes as the 
ape-man dropped lower among the branches 
until he moved almost directly above the un- 
conscious Werper. 

There was a quick leap, and the Belgian felt 
a heavy body hurtle onto the rump of his ter- 
ror-stricken mount. The horse, snorting, leaped 
forward. Giant arms encircled the rider, and 
in the twinkling of an eye he was dragged from 
his saddle to find himself lying in the narrow 
trail with a naked, white giant kneeling upon 
his breast. 

Recognition came to Werper with the first 
312 


TARZAN RECOVERS HIS REASON 


glance at his captor's face, and a pallor of fear 
overspread Ms features. Strong fingers were 
at Ms throaty fingers of steel. He tried to cry 
out, to plead for his life ; but the cruel fingers 
denied him speech, as they were as surely de- 
nying him life. 

“ The pretty pebbles? ” cried the man upon 
his breast. “ What did yoi with the pretty 
pebbles — with Tarzan ? s pretty pebbles ? 99 

The fingers relaxed to permit of a reply. 
For some time Werper could only choke and 
cough — at last he regained the powers of 
speech. 

“Achmet Zek, the &rab, stole them from 
me,” he cried; “ he made me give up the pouch 
and the pebbles .' 9 

“I saw ail that," replied Tarzan; “but 
the pebbles in the pouch were not the pebbles 
of Tarzan — they were only such pebbles as fill 
the bottoms of the rivers, and the shelving 
banks beside them. Even the Arab would not 
have them, for he threw them away in anger 
when he had looked upon them. It is my pretty 
pebbles that I want — where are they? ” 

“ I do not know, I do not know," cried Wer- 
per. “ I gave them to Achmet Zek or he would 
3 IS 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


have killed me. A few minutes later he followed 
me along the trail to slay me, although he had 
promised to molest me no further, and I shot 
and killed him ; but the pouch was not upon his 
person and though I searched about the jungle 
for some time I could not find it.” 

“I found it, I tell you,” growled Tarzan, 
“ and I also found the pebbles which Achmet 
Zek had thrown away in disgust. They were 
not Tarzan ’s pebbles. You have hidden them! 
Tell me where they are or I will kill you,” and 
the brown fingers of the ape-man closed a lit- 
tle tighter upon the throat of his victim. 

Werper struggled to free himself. ‘ i My God, 
Lord Greystoke,” he managed to scream, 
“ would you commit murder for a handful of 
stones? ” 

The fingers at his throat relaxed, a puzzled, 
far-away expression softened the gray eyes. 

4 6 Lord Greystoke!” repeated the ape-man. 
“Lord Greystoke! Who is Lord Greystoke? 
WLere have I heard that name before? ” 

“ Why man, you are Lord Greystoke,” cried 
the Belgian. “ You were injured by a falling 
rock when the earthquake shattered the pas- 
sage to the underground chamber to which you 
314 


TARZAN RECOVERS HIS REASON 


and your black Waziri bad come to fetch golden 
ingots back to your bungalow. The blow shat- 
tered your memory. You are John Clayton, 
Lord Greystoke — don’t you remember? ” 

“ John Clayton, Lord Greystoke! ” repeated 
Tarzan. Then for a moment he was silent. 
Presently his hand went falteringly to his fore- 
head, an expression of wonderment filled his 
eyes — of wonderment and sudden understand- 
ing. The forgotten name had reawakened the 
returning memory that had been struggling 
to reassert itself. The ape-man relinquished 
his grasp upon the throat of the Belgian, and 
leaped to his feet. 

“ God! ” he cried, and then, “ Jane! ” Sud- 
denly he turned toward Werper. “ My wife? ” 
he asked. “ What has become of her? The 
farm is in ruins. You know. You have had 
something to do with all this. You followed 
me to Opar, you stole the jewels which I thought 
but pretty pebbles. You are a crook! Do not 
try to tell me that you are not.” 

“He is worse than a crook,” said a quiet 
voice close behind them. 

Tarzan turned in astonishment to see a tall 
man in uniform standing in the trail a few 
315 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


paces from him. Back of the man were a num- 
ber of black soldiers in the uniform of the 
Congo Free State. 

“He is a murderer, Monsieur,” continued 
the officer. “ I have followed him for a long 
time to take him back to stand trial for the kill- 
ing of his superior officer.” 

Werper was upon his feet now, gazing, white 
and trembling, at the fate which had overtaken 
him even in the fastness of the labyrinthine 
3'ungle. Instinctively he turned to flee; but 
Tarzan of the Apes reached out a strong hand 
and grasped him by the shoulder. 

“Wait!” said the ape-man to his captive. 
“This gentleman wishes you, and so do I. 
When I am through with you, he may have you. 
Tell me what has become of my wife.” 

The Belgian officer eyed the almost naked, 
white giant with curiosity. He noted the 
strange contrast of primitive weapons and ap- 
parel, and the easy, fluent French which the 
man spoke. The former denoted the lowest, 
the latter the highest type of culture. He could 
not quite determine the social status of this 
strange creature ; but he knew that he did not 
relish the easy assurance with which the fellow 
316 


TARZAN RECOVERS HIS REASON 


presumed to dictate when he might take pos- 
session of the prisoner. 

“ Pardon me,” he said, stepping forward and 
placing his hand on Werper’s other shoulder; 
“ but this gentleman is my prisoner. He must 
come with me. * 9 

1 ‘ When I am through with him , 1 9 replied 
Tarzan, quietly. 

The officer turned and beckoned to the sol- 
diers standing in the trail behind him. A com- 
pany of uniformed blacks stepped quickly for- 
ward and pushing past the three, surrounded 
the ape-man and his captive. 

“ Both the law and the power to enforce it 
are upon my side,” announced the officer. “ Let 
us have no trouble. If you have a grievance 
against this man you may return with me and 
enter your charge regularly before an author- 
ized tribunal.” 

“ Your legal rights are not above suspicion, 
my friend,” replied Tarzan, “ and your power 
to enforce your commands are only apparent 
— not real. You have presumed to enter Brit- 
ish territory with an armed force. Where is 
your authority for this invasion? Where are 
the extradition papers which warrant the ar- 
317 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


rest of this man? And what assurance have 
you that I cannot bring an armed force about 
you that will prevent your return to the Congo 
Free State? ” 

The Belgian lost his temper. “ I have no dis- 
position to argue with a naked savage,” he 
cried. “Unless you wish to be hurt you will 
not interfere with me. Take the prisoner, Ser- 
geant! ” 

Werper raised his lips close to Tarzan’s 
ear. “Keep me from them, and I can show 
you the very spot where I saw your wife last 
night,” he whispered. “ She cannot be far 
from here at this very minute. ’ ’ 

The soldiers, following the signal from their 
sergeant, closed in to seize Werper. Tarzan 
grabbed the Belgian about the waist, and bear- 
ing him beneath his arm as he might have borne 
a sack of flour, leaped forward in an attempt 
to break through the cordon. His right fist 
caught the nearest soldier upon the jaw and 
sent him hurtling backward upon his fellows. 
Clubbed rifles were torn from the hands of those 
who barred his way, and right and left the black 
soldiers stumbled aside in the face of the ape- 
man’s savage break for liberty. 

318 


TARZAN RECOVERS HIS REASON 


So completely did the blacks surround the 
two that they dared not fire for fear of hitting 
one of their own number, and Tarzan was al- 
ready through them and upon the point of 
dodging into the concealing mazes of the jungle 
when one who had sneaked upon him from be- 
hind struck him a heavy blow upon the head 
with a rifle. 

In an instant the ape-man was down and a 
dozen black soldiers were upon his back. When 
he regained consciousness he found himself se- 
curely bound, as was Werper also. The Bel- 
gian officer, success having crowned his efforts, 
was in good humor, and inclined to chaff his 
prisoners about the ease with which they had 
been captured; but from Tarzan of the Apes 
he elicited no response. Werper, however, was 
voluble in his protests. He explained that Tar- 
zan was an English lord; but the officer only 
laughed at the assertion, and advised his pris- 
oner to save his breath for his defense in court. 

As soon as Tarzan regained his senses and 
it was found that he was not seriously injured, 
the prisoners were hastened into line and the 
return march toward the Congo Free State 
boundary commenced. 

319 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


Toward evening the column halted beside a 
stream, made camp and prepared the evening 
meal. From the thick foliage of the nearby 
jungle a pair of fierce eyes watched the activi- 
ties of the uniformed blacks with silent inten- 
sity and curiosity. From beneath beetling 
brows the creature saw the boma constructed, 
the fires built, and the supper prepared. 

Tarzan and Werper had been lying bound be- 
hind a small pile of knapsacks from the time 
that the company had halted; but with the 
preparation of the meal completed, their guard 
ordered them to rise and come forward to one 
of the fires where their hands would be unfet- 
tered that they might eat. 

As the giant ape-man rose, a startled expres- 
sion of recognition entered the eyes of the 
watcher in the jungle, and a low guttural broke 
from the savage lips. Instantly Tarzan was 
alert, but the answering growl died upon his 
lips, suppressed by the fear that it might arouse 
the suspicions of the soldiers. 

Suddenly an inspiration came to him. He 
turned toward Werper. 

1 6 1 am going to speak to you in a loud voice 
and in a tongue which you do not understand. 

320 


TARZAN RECOVERS HIS REASON 


Appear to listen intently to what I say, and 
occasionally mumble something as though re- 
plying in the same language — our escape may 
hinge upon the success of your efforts.” 

Werper nodded in assent and understanding, 
and immediately there broke from the lips of 
his companion a strange jargon which might 
have been compared with equal propriety to 
the barking and growling of a dog and the chat- 
tering of monkeys. 

The nearer soldiers looked in surprise at the 
ape-man. Some of them laughed, while others 
drew away in evident superstitious fear. The 
officer approached the prisoners while Tarzan 
was still jabbering, and halted behind them, lis- 
tening in perplexed interest. When Werper 
mumbled some ridiculous jargon in reply his 
curiosity broke bounds, and he stepped forward, 
demanding to know what language it was that 
they spoke. 

Tarzan had gauged the measure of the man’s 
culture from the nature and quality of his con- 
versation during the march, and he rested the 
success of his reply upon the estimate he had 
made. 

“ Greek,” he explained. 

321 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


“Oh, I thought it was Greek,” replied the 
officer ; 4 ‘ but it has been so many years since I 
studied it that I was not sure. In future, how- 
ever, I will thank you to speak in a language 
which I am more familiar with.” 

Werper turned his head to hide a grin, whis- 
pering to Tarzan : “It was Greek to him all 
right — and to me, too.” 

But one of the black soldiers mumbled in a 
low voice to a companion : “I have heard 
those sounds before — once at night when I 
was lost in the jungle, I heard the hairy men of 
the trees talking among themselves, and their 
words were like the words of this white man. 
I wish that we had not found him. He is not a 
man at all — he is a bad spirit, and we shall 
have bad luck if we do not let him go,” and the 
fellow rolled his eyes fearfully toward the 
jungle. 

His companion laughed nervously, and moved 
away, to repeat the conversation, with varia- 
tions and exaggerations, to others of the black 
soldiery, so that it was not long before a fright- 
ful tale of black magic and sudden death was 
woven about the giant prisoner, and had gone 
the rounds of the camp. 

322 


TARZAN RECOVERS HIS REASON 


And deep in the gloomy jungle amidst the 
darkening shadows of the falling night a hairy, 
manlike creature swung swiftly southward upon 
some secret mission of his own. 


CHAPTER XXm 


A NIGHT OF TERROR 

T O JANE CLAYTON, waiting in the tree 
where Werper had placed her, it seemed 
that the long night would never end, yet end 
it did at last, and within an hour of the coming 
of dawn her spirits leaped with renewed hope 
at sight of a solitary horseman approaching 
along the trail. 

The flowing burnoose, with its loose hood, 
hid both the face and the figure of the rider; 
but that it was M. Frecoult the girl well knew, 
since he had been garbed as an Arab, and he 
alone might be expected to seek her hiding 
place. 

That which she saw relieved the strain of 
the long night vigil; but there was much that 
she did not see. She did not see the black face 
beneath the white hood, nor the file of ebon 
horsemen beyond the trail's bend riding slowly 
in the wake of their leader. These things she 
did not see at first, and so she leaned down- 
324 


A NIGHT OF TERROR 


ward toward the approaching rider, a cry of 
welcome forming in her throat. 

At the first word the man looked up, reining 
in in surprise, and as she saw the black face of 
Abdul Mourak, the Abyssinian, she shrank back 
in terror among the branches; but it was too 
late. The man had seen her, and now he called 
to her to descend. At first she refused; but 
when a dozen black cavalrymen drew up be- 
hind their leader, and at Abdul Mourak’s com- 
mand one of them started to climb the tree 
after her she realized that resistance was futile, 
and came slowly down to stand upon the ground 
before this new captor and plead her cause in 
the name of justice and humanity. 

Angered by recent defeat, and by the loss of 
the gold, the jewels, and his prisoners, Abdul 
Mourak was in no mood to be influenced by 
any appeal to those softer sentiments to which, 
as a matter of fact, he was almost a stranger 
even under the most favorable conditions. 

He looked for degredation and possible death 
in punishment for his failures and his misfor- 
tunes when he should have returned to his na- 
tive land and made his report to Menelek ; but 
an acceptable gift might temper the wrath of 
325 


l tarzan and the jewels of opar 


the emperor, and surely this fair flower of an- 
other race should be gratefully received by the 
black ruler! 

When Jane Clayton had concluded her ap- 
peal, Abdul Mourak replied briefly that he 
would promise her protection ; but that he must 
take her to his emperor. The girl did not need 
ask him why, and once again hope died within 
her breast. Resignedly she permitted herself 
to be lifted to a seat behind one of the troop- 
ers, and again, under new masters, her journey 
was resumed toward what she now began to be- 
lieve was her inevitable fate. 

Abdul Mourak, bereft of his guides by the 
battle he had waged against the raiders, and 
himself unfamiliar with the country, had wan- 
dered far from the trail he should have fol- 
lowed, and as a result had made but little prog- 
ress toward the north since the beginning of 
his flight. Today he was beating toward the 
west in the hope of coming upon a village where 
he might obtain guides; but night found him 
still as far from a realization of his hopes as 
had the rising sun. 

It was a dispirited company which went into 
camp, waterless and hungry, in the dense jun- 
326 


A NIGHT OF TERROR 


gle. Attracted by the horses, lions roared about 
the boma, and to their hideous din was added 
the shrill neighs of the terror-stricken beasts 
they hunted. There was little sleep for man 
or beast, and the sentries were doubled that 
there might be enough on duty both to guard 
against the sudden charge of an overbold, or 
overhungry lion, and to keep the fire blazing 
which was an even more effectual barrier 
against them than the thorny boma. 

It was well past midnight, and as yet Jane 
Clayton, notwithstanding that she had passed 
a sleepless night the night before, had scarcely 
mor^than dozed. A sense of impending danger 
seemed to hang like a black pall over the camp. 
The veteran troopers of the black emperor were 
nervous and ill at ease. Abdul Mourak left his 
blankets a dozen times to pace restlessly back 
and forth between the tethered horses and the 
crackling fire. The girl could see his great 
frame silhouetted against the lurid glare of the 
flames, and she guessed from the quick, nervous 
movements of the man that he was afraid. 

The roaring of the lions rose in sudden fury 
until the earth trembled to the hideous chorus. 
The horses shrilled their neighs of terror as 
327 


JARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 

they lay back upon their halter ropes in their 
mad endeavors to break loose. A trooper, 
braver than his fellows, leaped among the kick- 
ing, plunging, fear-maddened beasts in a futile 
attempt to quiet them. A lion, large, and fierce, 
and courageous, leaped almost to the boma, 
full in the bright light from the fire. A sentry 
raised his piece and fired, and the little leaden 
pellet unstoppered the vials of hell upon the 
terror-stricken camp. 

The shot ploughed a deep and painful furrow 
in the lion’s side, arousing all the bestial fury 
of the little brain; but abating not a whit the 
power and vigor of the great body. 

Unwounded, the boma and the flames might 
have turned him back; but now the pain and 
the rage wiped caution from his mind, and with 
a loud, and angry roar he topped the barrier 
with an easy leap and was among the horses. 

What had been pandemonium before became 
now an indescribable tumult of hideous sound. 
The stricken horse upon which the lion leaped 
shrieked out its terror and its agony. Several 
about it broke their tethers and plunged madly 
about the camp. Men leaped from their blan- 
kets and with guns ready ran toward the picket 
328 


A NIGHT OF TERROR 


line, and then from the jungle beyond the boma 
a dozen lions, emboldened by the example of 
their fellow charged fearlessly upon the camp. 

Singly and in twos and threes they leaped 
the boma, until the little enclosure was filled 
with cursing men and screaming horses battling 
for their lives with the green-eyed devils of the 
jungle. 

With the charge of the first lion, Jane Clayton 
had scrambled to her feet, and now she stood 
horror-struck at the scene of savage slaughter 
that swirled and eddied about her. Once a 
bolting horse knocked her down, and a moment 
later a lion, leaping in pursuit of another ter- 
ror-stricken animal, brushed her so closely that 
she was again thrown from her feet. 

Amidst the cracking of the rifles and the 
growls of the carnivora rose the death screams 
of stricken men and horses as they were 
dragged down by the blood-mad cats. The leap- 
ing carnivora and the plunging horses, pre- 
vented any concerted action by the Abyssin- 
ians — it was every man for himself — and in 
the melee, the defenseless woman was either 
forgotten or ignored by her black captors. A 
score of times was her life menaced by charging 
329 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


lions, by plunging horses, or by the wildly fired 
bullets of the frightened troopers, yet there was 
no chance of escape, for now with the fiendish 
cunning of their kind, the tawny hunters com- 
menced to circle about their prey, hemming 
them within a ring of mighty, yellow fangs, and 
sharp, long talons. Again and again an in- 
dividual lion would dash suddenly among the 
frightened men and horses, and occasionally a 
horse, goaded to frenzy by pain or terror, suc- 
ceeded in racing safely through the circling 
lions, leaping the boma, and escaping into the 
jungle; but for the men and the woman no such 
escape was possible. 

A horse, struck by a stray- bullet, fell beside 
Jane Clayton, a lion leaped across the expiring 
beast full upon the breast of a black trooper 
just beyond. The man clubbed his rifle and 
struck futilely at the broad head, and then he 
was down and the carnivore was standing above 
him. 

Shrieking out his terror, the soldier clawed 
with puny fingers at the shaggy breast in vain 
endeavor to push away the grinning jaws. The 
lion lowered his head, the gaping fangs closed 
with a single sickening crunch upon the fear- 
330 


A NIGHT OF TERROR 


distorted face, and turning strode back across 
the body of the dead horse dragging his limp 
and bloody bnrden with him. 

Wide-eyed the girl stood watching. She saw 
the carnivore step npon the corpse, stnmblingly, 
as the grisly thing swnng between its forepaws, 
and her eyes remained fixed in fascination while 
the beast passed within a few paces of her. 

The interference of the body seemed to en- 
rage the lion. He shook the inanimate clay 
venomously. He growled and roared hideously 
at the dead, insensate thing, and then he 
dropped it and raised his head to look about in 
search of some living victim upon which to 
wreak his ill temper. His yellow eyes fastened 
themselves balefully upon the figure of the girl, 
the bristling lips raised, disclosing the grinning 
fangs. A terrific roar broke from the savage 
throat, and the great beast crouched to spring 
unon this new and helpless victim. 

Quiet had fallen early upon the camp where 
Tarzan and Werper lay securely bound. Two 
nervous sentries paced their beats, their eyes 
rolling often toward the impenetrable shadows 
of the gloomy jungle. The others slept or tried 
331 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


to sleep — all but the ape-man. Silently and 
powerfully he strained at the bonds which fet- 
tered his wrists. 

The muscles knotted beneath the smooth, 
brown skin of his arms and shoulders, the veins 
stood out upon his temples from the force of 
his exertions — a strand parted, another and 
another, and one hand was free. Then from 
the jungle came a low guttural, and the ape- 
man became suddenly a silent, rigid statue, 
with ears and nostrils straining to span the 
black void where his eyesight could not reach. 

Again came the uncanny sound from the thick 
verdure beyond the camp. A sentry halted 
abruptly, straining his eyes into the gloom. 
The kinky wool upon his head stiffened and 
raised. He called to his comrade in a hoarse 
whisper. 

‘ ‘ Did you hear it? ” he asked. 

The other came closer, trembling. 

“ Hear what? ” 

Again was the weird sound repeated, followed 
almost immediately by a similar and answer- 
ing sound from the camp. The sentries drew 
close together, watching the black spot from 
which the voice seemed to come. 

332 


A NIGHT OF TERROR 


Trees overhung the boma at this point which 
was upon the opposite side of the camp from 
them. They dared not approach. Their terror 
even prevented them from arousing their fel- 
lows — they could only stand in frozen fear and 
watch for the fearsome apparition they momen- 
tarily expected to see leap from the jungle. 

Nor had they long to wait. A dim, bulky 
form dropped lightly from the branches of a 
tree into the camp. At sight of it one of the 
sentries recovered command of his muscles and 
his voice. Screaming loudly to awaken the 
sleeping camp, he leaped toward the flickering 
watch fire and threw a mass of brush upon it. 

The white officer and the black soldiers 
sprang from their blankets. The flames leaped 
high upon the rejuvenated fire, lighting the en- 
tire camp, and the awakened men shrank back 
in superstitious terror from the sight that met 
their frightened and astonished vision. 

A dozen huge and hairy forms loomed large 
beneath the trees at the far side of the enclo- 
sure. The white giant, one hand freed, had 
struggled to his knees and was calling to the 
frightful, nocturnal visitors in a hideous medley 
of bestial gutturals, barkings and growlings. 

333 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


Werper had managed to sit up. He, too, saw 
the savage faces of the approaching anthro- 
poids and scarcely knew whether to be relieved 
or terror-stricken. 

Growling, the great apes leaped forward 
toward Tarzan and Werper. Chnlk led them. 
The Belgian officer called to his men to fire upon 
the intruders ; but the negroes held back, filled 
as they were with superstitious terror of the 
hairy tree-men, and with the conviction that the 
white giant who could thus summon the beasts 
of the jungle to his aid was more than human. 

Drawing his own weapon, the officer fired, 
and Tarzan fearing the effect of the noise upon 
his really timid friends called to them to has- 
ten and fulfill his commands. 

A couple of the apes turned and fled at the 
sound of the firearm; but Chulk and a half 
dozen others waddled rapidly forward, and, 
following the ape-man’s directions, seized both 
him and Werper and bore them off toward the 
jungle. 

By dint of threats, reproaches and profanity 
the Belgian officer succeeded in persuading his 
trembling command to fire a volley after the 
retreating apes. A ragged, straggling volley 
334 


A NIGHT OF TERROR 


it was, but at least one of its bullets found a 
mark, for as the jungle closed about the hairy 
rescuers, Chulk, who bore Werper across one 
broad shoulder, staggered and fell. 

In an instant he was up again; but the Bel- 
gian guessed from his unsteady gait that he 
was hard hit. He lagged far behind the oth- 
ers, and it was several minutes after they had 
halted at Tarzan’s command before he came 
slowly up to them, reeling from side to side, and 
at last falling again beneath the weight of his 
burden and the shock of his wound. 

As Chulk went down he dropped Werper, so 
that the latter fell face downward with the body 
of the ape lying half across him. In this posi- 
tion the Belgian felt something resting against 
his hands, which were still bound at his back — 
something that was not a part of the hairy body 
of the ape. 

Mechanically the man’s fingers felt of the ob- 
ject resting almost in their grasp — it was a 
soft pouch, filled with small, hard particles. 
Werper gasped in wonderment as recognition 
filtered through the incredulity of his mind. It 
was impossible, and yet — it was true! 

Feverishly he strove to remove the pouch 
335 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


from the ape and transfer it to his own pos- 
session; but the restricted radius to which his 
bonds held his hands prevented this, though he 
did succeed in tucking the pouch with its pre- 
cious contents inside the waist band of 
his trousers. 

Tarzan, sitting at a short distance, was busy 
with the remaining knots of the cords which 
bound him. Presently he flung aside the last 
of them and rose to his feet. Approaching 
Werper he knelt beside him. For a moment he 
examined the ape. 

‘ ‘ Quite dead, ’ ’ he announced. “ It is too 
bad — he was a splendid creature,’ ’ and then he 
turned to the work of liberating the Belgian. 

He freed his hands first, and then commenced 
upon the knots at his ankles. 

“ I can do the rest,” said the Belgian. “ I 
have a small pocketknife which they over- 
looked when they searched me,” and in this 
way he succeeded in ridding himself of the ape- 
man ? s attentions that he might find and open 
his little knife and cut the thong which fastened 
the pouch about Chulk’s shoulder, and transfer 
it from his waist band to the breast of his 
shirt. Then he rose and approached Tarzan. 

336 


A NIGHT OF TERROR 


Once again had avarice claimed him. For- 
gotten were the good intentions which the 
confidence of Jane Clayton in his honor had 
awakened. What she had done, the little pouch 
had undone. How it had come upon the person 
of the great ape, Werper could not imagine, un- 
less it had been that the anthropoid had wit- 
nessed his fight with Achmet Zek, seen the 
Arab with the pouch and taken it away from 
him; but that this pouch contained the jewels 
of Opar, Werper was positive, and that was all 
that interested him greatly. 

“ Now,” said the ape-man, “ keep your prom- 
ise to me. Lead me to the spot where you last 
saw my wife. ’ ’ 

It was slow work pushing through the jun- 
gle in the dead of night behind the slow-mov- 
ing Belgian. The ape-man chafed at the de- 
lay, but the European could not swing through 
the trees as could his more agile and muscular 
companions, and so the speed of all was limited 
to that of the slowest. 

The apes trailed out behind the two white 
men for a matter of a few miles ; but presently 
their interest lagged, the foremost of them 
halted in a little glade and the others stopped 
337 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


at his side. There they sat peering from be- 
neath their shaggy brows at the figures of the 
two men forging steadily ahead, until the lat- 
ter disappeared in the leafy trail beyond the 
clearing. Then an ape sought a comfortable 
couch beneath a tree, and one by one the oth- 
ers followed his example, so that Werper and 
Tarzan continued their journey alone; nor was 
the latter either surprised or concerned. 

The two had gone but a short distance be- 
yond the glade where the apes had deserted 
them, when the roaring of distant lions fell 
upon their ears. The ape-man paid no atten- 
tion to the familiar sounds until the crack of a 
rifle came faintly from the same direction, and 
when this was followed by the shrill neighing 
of horses, and an almost continuous fusillade 
of shots intermingled with increased and sav- 
age roaring of a large troop of lions, he be- 
came immediately concerned. 

“ Someone is having trouble over there,” he 
said, turning toward Werper. “I’ll have to go 
to them — they may be friends.” 

“Your wife might be among them,” sug- 
gested the Belgian, for since he had again come 
into possession of the pouch he had become 
338 


A NIGHT OF TERROR 


fearful and suspicious of the ape-man, and in 
his mind had constantly revolved many plans 
for eluding this giant Englishman, who was at 
once his savior and his captor. 

At the suggestion Tarzan started as though 
struck with a whip. 

6 6 God l" he cried, ‘ 1 she might be, and the 
lions are attacking them — they are in the camp. 
I can tell from the screams of the horses — and 
there! that was the cry of a man in his death 
agonies. Stay here man — I will come back for 
you. I must go first to them,” and swinging 
into a tree the lithe figure swung rapidly off into 
the night with the speed and silence of a dis- 
embodied spirit. 

For a moment Werper stood where the ape- 
man had left him. Then a cunning smile 
crossed his lips. “ Stay here? ” he asked him- 
self. “Stay here and wait until you return 
to find and take these jewels from me? Not I, 
my friend, not I,” and turning abruptly east- 
ward Albert Werper passed through the foli- 
age of a hanging vine and out of the sight of 
his fellow-man — forever. 


339 


CHAPTER XXIV 


HOME 

A S TARZAN of the Apes hurtled through 
t the trees the discordant sounds of the bat- 
tle between the Abyssinians and the lions smote 
more and more distinctly upon his sensitive 
ears, redoubling his assurance that the plight 
of the human element of the conflict was criti- 
cal indeed. 

At last the glare of the camp fire shone 
plainly through the intervening trees, and a 
moment later the giant figure of the ape-man 
paused upon an overhanging hough to look 
down upon the bloody scene of carnage below. 

His quick eye took in the whole scene with 
a single comprehending glance and stopped 
upon the figure of a woman standing facing a 
great lion across the carcass of a horse. 

The carnivore was crouching to spring as 
Tarzan discovered the tragic tableau. Numa 
was almost beneath the branch upon which the 
ape-man stood, naked and unarmed. There 
340 


HOME 


was not even an instant’s hesitation upon the 
part of the latter — it was as though he had 
not even paused in his swift progress through 
the trees, so lightning-like his survey and com- 
prehension of the scene below him — so instan- 
taneous his consequent action. 

So hopeless had seemed her situation to her 
that J ane Clayton but stood in lethargic apathy 
awaiting the impact of the huge body that would 
hurl her to the ground — awaiting the momen- 
tary agony that cruel talons and grisly fangs 
may inflict before the coming of the merciful ob- 
livion which would end her sorrow and her suf- 
fering. 

What use to attempt escape? As well face 
the hideous end as to be dragged down from be- 
hind in futile flight. She did not even close 
her eyes to shut out the frightful aspect of that 
snarling face, and so it was that as she saw 
the lion preparing to charge she saw, too, a 
bronzed and mighty figure leap from an over- 
hanging tree at the instant that hTuma rose in 
his spring. 

Wide went her eyes in wonder and incredu- 
lity, as she beheld this seeming apparition risen 
from the dead. The lion was forgotten— her 
341 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


own peril — everything save the wondrous mir- 
acle of this strange recrudescence. With 
parted lips, with palms tight pressed against 
her heaving bosom, the girl leaned forward, 
large-eyed, enthralled by the vision of her dead 
mate. 

She saw the sinewy form leap to the shoulder 
of the lion, hurtling against the leaping beast 
like a huge, animate battering ram. She saw 
the carnivore brushed aside as he was almost 
upon her, and in the instant she realized that 
no substanceless wraith could thus turn the 
charge of a maddened lion with brute force 
greater than the brute’s. 

Tarzan, her Tarzan, lived ! A cry of unspeak- 
able gladness broke from her lips, only to die 
in terror as she saw the utter defenselessness of 
her mate, and realized that the lion had recov- 
ered himself and was turning upon Tarzan in 
mad lust for vengeance. 

At the ape-man’s feet lay the discarded rifle 
of the dead Abyssinian whose mutilated corpse 
sprawled where Numa had abandoned it. The 
quick glance which had swept the ground for 
some weapon of defense discovered it, and as 
the lion reared upon his hind legs to seize the 
342 


HOME 


rash man-thing who had dared interpose its 
puny strength between Numa and his prey, the 
heavy stock whirred through the air and splin- 
tered upon the broad forehead. 

Not as an ordinary mortal might strike a 
blow did Tarzan of the Apes strike; but with 
the maddened frenzy of a wild beast backed by 
the steel thews which his wild, arboreal boyhood 
had bequeathed him. When the blow ended the 
splintered stock was driven through the splin- 
tered skull into the savage brain, and the heavy 
iron barrel was bent into a rude V. 

In the instant that the lion sank, lifeless, to 
the ground, Jane Clayton threw herself into the 
eager arms of her husband. For a brief instant 
he strained her dear form to his breast, and 
then a glance about him awakened the ape-man 
to the dangers which still surrounded them. 

Upon every hand the lions were still leaping 
upon new victims. Fear-maddened horses still 
menaced them with their erratic bolting from 
one side of the enclosure to the other. Bullets 
from the guns of the defenders who remained 
alive but added to the perils of their situation. 

To remain was to court death. Tarzan seized 
Jane Clayton and lifted her to a broad shoulder 
343 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


The blacks who had witnessed his advent looked 
on in amazement as they saw the naked giant 
leap easily into the branches of the tree from 
whence he had dropped so uncannily upon the 
scene, and vanish as he had come, bearing away 
their prisoner with him. 

They were too well occupied in self-defense 
to attempt to halt him, nor could they have 
done so other than by the wasting of a precious 
bullet which might be needed the next instant 
to turn the charge of a savage foe. 

And so, unmolested, Tarzan passed from the 
camp of the Abyssinians, from which the din 
of conflict followed him deep into the jungle 
until distance gradually obliterated it entirely. 

Back to the spot where he had left Werper 
went the ape-man, joy in his heart now, where 
fear and sorrow had so recently reigned; and 
in his mind a determination to forgive the Bel- 
gian and aid him in making good his escape. 
But when he came to the place, Werper was 
gone, and though Tarzan called aloud many 
times he received no reply. Convinced that the 
man had purposely eluded him for reasons of 
his own, John Clayton felt that he was under 
no obligations to expose his wife to further dan- 
344 


HOME 


ger and discomfort in the prosecution of a more 
thorough search for the missing Belgian. 

‘ ‘ He has acknowledged his guilt by his flight, 
Jane,” he said. ‘ * We will let him go to lie in 
the bed that he has made for himself.” 

Straight as homing pigeons, the two made 
their way toward the ruin and desolation that 
had once been the center of their happy lives, 
and which was soon to be restored by the will- 
ing black hands of laughing laborers, made 
happy again by the return of the master and 
mistress whom they had mourned as dead. 

Past the village of Achmet Zek their way led 
them, and there they found but the charred 
remains of the palisade and the native huts, still 
smoking, as mute evidence of the wrath and 
vengeance of a powerful enemy. 

“ The Waziri,” commented Tarzan with a 
grim smile. 

“God bless them!” cried Jane Clayton. 

“ They cannot be far ahead of us,” said Tar- 
zan, “ Basuli and the others. The gold is gone 
and the jewels of Opar, Jane; but we have each 
other and the Waziri — we have love and loy- 
alty and friendship. And what are gold and 
jewels to these! ” 


345 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAR 


‘ ‘If only poor Mugambi lived,’ ’ she replied, 
“ and those other brave fellows who sacrificed 
their lives in vain endeavor to protect me! ” 

In the silence of mingled joy and sorrow they 
passed along through the familiar jungle, and 
as the afternoon was waning there came faintly 
to the ears of the ape-man the murmuring ca- 
dence of distant voices. 

“ We are nearing the Waziri, Jane,” he said. 
“ I can hear them ahead of us. They are going 
into camp for the night, I imagine.” 

A half hour later the two came upon a horde 
of ebon warriors which Basuli had collected 
for his war of vengeance upon the raiders. With 
them were the captured women of the tribe 
whom they had found in the village of Achmet 
Zek, and tall, even among the giant Waziri, 
loomed a familiar black form at the side of Ba- 
suli. It was Mugambi, whom J ane had thought 
dead amidst the charred ruins of the bungalow. 

Ah, such a reunion ! Long into the night the 
dancing and the singing and the laughter awoke 
the echoes of the somber wood. Again and 
again were the stories of their various adven- 
tures retold. Again and once again they fought 
their battles with savage beast and savage man, 
346 


HOME 


and dawn was already breaking when Basuli, 
for the fortieth time, narrated how he and a 
handful of his warriors had watched the battle 
for the golden ingots which the Abyssinians of 
Abdul Mourak had waged against the Arab 
raiders of Achmet Zek, and how, when the vic- 
tors had ridden away they had sneaked out of 
the river reeds and stolen away with the 
precious ingots to hide them where no robber 
eye ever could discover them. 

Pieced out from the fragments of their va- 
rious experiences with the Belgian the truth 
concerning the malign activities of Albert Wer- 
per became apparent. Only Lady Greystoke 
found aught to praise in the conduct of the man, 
and it was difficult even for her to reconcile his 
many heinous acts with this one evidence of 
chivalry and honor. 

“ Deep in the soul of every man,” said Tar- 
zan, “ must lurk the germ of righteousness. It 
was your own virtue, Jane, rather even than 
your helplessness which awakened for an in- 
stant the latent decency of this degraded man. 
In that one act he retrieved himself, and when 
he is called to face his Maker may it outweigh 
in the balance, all the sins he has committed.” 

347 


TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAK 


An ri Jane Clayton breathed a fervent, 
“ Amen! ” 

Months had passed. The labor of the Waziri 
and the gold of Opar had rebuilt and refur- 
nished the wasted homestead of the Greystokes. 
Once more the simple life of the great African 
farm went on as it had before the coming of 
the Belgian and the Arab. Forgotten were the 
sorrows and dangers of yesterday. 

For the first time in months Lord Greystoke 
felt that he might indulge in a holiday, and so 
a great hunt was organized that the faithful 
laborers might feast in celebration of the com- 
pletion of their work. 

In itself the hunt was a success, and ten days 
after its inauguration, a well-laden safari took 
up its return march toward the Waziri plain. 
Lord and Lady Greystoke with Basuli and Mu- 
gambi rode together at the head of the column, 
laughing and talking together in that easy fa- 
miliarity which common interests and mutual 
respect breed between honest and intelligent 
men of any races. 

J ane Clayton ’s horse shied suddenly at an ob- 
ject half hidden in the long grasses of an open 
348 


HOME 


space in the jungle. Tarzan ’s keen eyes sought 
quickly for an explanation of the animal’s ac- 
tion. 

“ What have we here? ” he cried, swinging 
from his saddle, and a moment later the four 
were grouped about a human skull and a little 
litter of whitened human bones. 

Tarzan stooped and lifted a leathern pouch 
from the grisly relics of a man. The hard out- 
lines of the contents brought an exclamation of 
surprise to his lips. 

'•‘The jewels of Opar!” he cried, holding 
the pouch aloft, “ and,” pointing to the bones at 
his feet, “ all that remains of Werper, the Bel- 
gian.” 

Mugambi laughed. “Look within, Bwana,” 
he cried, “ and you will see what are the jewels 
of Opar — you will see what the Belgian gave 
his life for,” and the black laughed aloud. 

“ Why do you laugh? ” asked Tarzan. 

“Because,” replied Mugambi, “I filled the 
Belgian’s pouch with river gravel before I es- 
caped the camp of the Abyssinians whose pris- 
oners we were. I left the Belgian only worth- 
less stones, while I brought away with me the 
jewels he had stolen from you. That they were 
349 


L TARZAN AND THE JEWELS OF OPAE 


afterward stolen from me while I slept in the 
jungle is my shame and my disgrace; but at 
least the Belgian lost them — open his pouch 
and you will see.” 

Tarzan untied the thong which held the 
mouth of the leathern bag closed, and permit- 
ted the contents to trickle slowly forth into his 
open palm. Mugambi’s eyes went wide at the 
sight, and the others uttered exclamations of 
surprise and incredulity, for from the rusty 
and weatherworn pouch ran a stream of bril- 
liant, scintillating gems. 

“ The jewels of Opar! ” cried Tarzan. “ But 
how did Werper come by them again? ” 

None could answer, for both Chulk and Wer- 
per were dead, and no other knew. 

1 6 Poor devil ! 99 said the ape-man, as he swung 
back into his saddle. i 1 Even in death he has 
made restitution — let his sins lie with his 
bones.” 


350 


There's More to Follow ! 

More stories of the sort you like; 
more, probably, by the author of this 
one; more than 500 titles all told by 
writers of world-wide reputation, in 
the Authors’ Alphabetical List which 
you will find on the reverse side of the 
wrapper of this book. Look it over 
before you lay it aside. There are 
books here you are sure to want — some, 
possibly, that you have always wanted. 

It is a selected list; every book in it 
has achieved a certain measure of 
success . 

The Grosset 8z Dunlap list is not only 
the greatest Index of Good Fiction 
available, it represents in addition a 
generally accepted Standard of Value. 

It will pay you to 

Look on the Other Side of the Wrap per l 

In case the wrapper is lost write to 

the publishers for a complete catalog 


THE NOVELS OF 
EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS 

May b« had wherever books are sold. Ask for Grosset & Dunlap’s list. 


THE FAMOUS TARZAN BOOKS 


Tarzan of the Apes 

The Return of Tarzan 

The Beasts of Tarzan 

The Son of Tarzan 

Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar 

Jungle Tales of Tarzan 

Tarzan the Untamed 


Tarzan the Terrible 
Tarzan and the Golden Lion 
Tarzan and the Ant Men - 
Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle 
Tarzan and the Lost Empire 
Tarzan at the Earth’s Core 


The 

The 

The 

The 

The 

The 

The 


The 

The 

The 


OTHER STORIES OF ADVENTURE 


Monster Men 
War Chief 
Outlaw of Torn 
Mad King 
Moon Maid 
Eternal Lover 
Cave Girl 


The Bandit of Hell’s Bend 

The Land that Time Forgot 

The Mucker 

At the Earth’s Core 

Pellucidar 

Tanar of Pellucidar 


THE MARVELOUS MARTIAN STORIES 

Princess of Mars Thuvia, Maid of Mars 

Gods of Mars The Chessmen of Mars 

Warlord of Mars The Master Mind of Mars 

A Fighting Man of Mars 


GROSSET & DUNLAP, Publishers , NEW YORK 


J. S. FLETCHER’S DETECTIVE 
STORIES 

May be had wherever books are sold. Ask for Grosset & Dunlap’s list 


J. S. Fletcher’s mystery-detective stories of the puzzle 
variety have made him the generally acknowledged suc- 
cessor to Conan Doyle in this field. 

BEHIND THE MONOCLE 
THE TIME WORN TOWN 
THE MATHESON FORMULA 
THE YORKSHIRE MOORLAND MURDER 
THE BORGIA CABINET 
THE ORANGE- YELLOW DIAMOND 
THE MARKENMORE MYSTERY 
THE MAZAROFF MYSTERY 
DEAD MEN’S MONEY 
THE PARADISE MYSTERY 
THE TALLEYRAND MAXIM 
THE BOROUGH TREASURER 
THE CHESTERMARKE INSTINCT 
THE LOST MR. LINTHWAITE 
THE WOLVES AND THE LAMB 
FALSE SCENT 
THE AMARANTH CLUB 


GROSSET & DUNLAP, Publishers, NEW YORK 


RAFAEL SABATINI’S NOVELS 


May be had wherever books are sold. Ask for Grosset & Dunlap’s list 


J ESI, a diminutive city of the Italian Marches, was the birth- 
place of Rafael Sabatini. 

He first went to school in Switzerland and from there to Lycee 
of Oporto, Portugal, and has never attended an English school. 
But English is hardly an adopted language for him, as he learned 
it from his mother, an English woman. 

Today Rafael Sabatini is regarded as " The Alexandre Dumas 
of Modern Fiction.” 

THE KING’S MINION 
THE ROMANTIC PRINCE 
THE HOUNDS OF GOD 
THE TAVERN KNIGHT 
BELLA RION 

THE TRAMPLING OF THE LILIES 

THE STROLLING SAINT 

THE CAROLINIAN 

THE BANNER OF THE BULL 

FORTUNE’S FOOL 

BARDELYS THE MAGNIFICENT 

CAPTAIN BLOOD 

THE SEA-HAWK 

SCARAMOUCHE 


GROSSET & DUNLAP, Publishers t NEW YORK 


ZANE GREY’S NOVELS 

May be had wherever books are sold. Ask for Grosset & Dunlap’s list. 


ARIZONA AMES 
SUNSET PASS 

THE SHEPHERD OF GUADALOUPE 
FIGHTING CARAVANS 
WILD HORSE MESA 
NEVADA 

FORLORN RIVER 

UNDER THE TONTO RIM 

THE VANISHING AMERICAN 

TAPPAN’S BURRO 

THE THUNDERING HERD 

THE CALL OF THE CANYON 

WANDERER OF THE WASTELAND 

THE DAY OF THE BEAST 

TO THE LAST MAN 

THE MYSTERIOUS RIDER 

THE MAN OF THE FOREST 

THE DESERT OF WHEAT 

THE U. P. TRAIL 

WILDFIRE 

THE BORDER LEGION 
THE RAINBOW TRAIL 
THE HERITAGE OF THE DESERT 
RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE 
LIGHT OF WESTERN STARS 
THE LAST OF THE PLAINSMEN 
THE LONE STAR RANGER 
DESERT GOLD 
BETTY ZANE 

ZANE GREY’S BOOKS FOR BOYS 

ROPING LIONS IN THE GRAND CANYON 

THE RED-HEADED OUTFIELD 

KEN WARD IN THE JUNGLE 

THE YOUNG LION HUNTER 

THE YOUNG FORESTER 

THE YOUNG PITCHER 

THE SHORT STOP 


GROSSET & DUNLAP, Publishers, NEW YORK 


JAMES OLIVER CURWOOD’S 

STORIES OF ADVENTURE 


May be had wherever books are sold. Ask for Grosset & Dunlap’s list 


FALKNER OF THE INLAND SEAS 

SON OF THE FORESTS 

GREEN TIMBER 

THE LADY OF PERIBONKA 

THE PLAINS OF ABRAHAM 

SWIFT LIGHTNING 

THE BLACK HUNTER 

THE ANCIENT HIGHWAY 

A GENTLEMAN OF COURAGE 

THE ALASKAN 

THE COUNTRY BEYOND 

THE FLAMING FOREST 

THE VALLEY OF SILENT MEN 

THE RIVER’S END 

THE GOLDEN SNARE 

BACK TO GOD’S COUNTRY 

THE WOLF HUNTERS 

THE GOLD HUNTERS 

NOMADS OF THE NORTH 

KAZAN 

THE COURAGE OF CAPTAIN PLUM 

BAREE, THE SON OF KAZAN 

THE DANGER TRAIL 

THE COURAGE OF MARGE O’DOONE 

THE HUNTED WOMAN 

THE FLOWER OF THE NORTH 

THE GRIZZLY KING 

ISOBEL 


GROSSET & DUNLAP, Publishers NEW YORK 


B. M. BOWER’S NOVELS 

May be had wherever books are sold. Ask for Grosset & Dunlap’s list. 

TIGER EYE 
FOOL’S GOAL 

THE SWALLOWFORK BULLS 

HAYWIRE 

WHITE WOLVES 

BLACK THUNDER 

THE VOICE AT JOHNNYWATER 

CHIP OF THE FLYING U 

FLYING U RANCH 

FLYING U’s LAST STAND 

THE LONESOME TRAIL 

THE RANGE DWELLERS 

GROSSET & DUNLAP, Publishers, NEW YORK 


NOVELS OF FRONTIER LIFE 

WILLIAM MacLEOD RAINE 

May be had wherever books are sold. Ask for Grosset & Dunlap’s list 


BEYOND THE RIO GRANDE 
RUTLEDGE TRAILS THE ACE OF SPADES 
THE VALIANT 

THE FIGHTING TENDERFOOT 

TEXAS MAN 

COLORADO 

JUDGE COLT 

THE FIGHTING EDGE 

GUNSIGHT PASS 

TANGLED TRAILS 

MAN SIZE 

THE BIG TOWN ROUND-UP 
OH, YOU TEX! 

THE SHERIFFS SON 
A MAN FOUR SQUARE 
A TEXAS RANGER 
BRAND BLOTTERS 
BUCKY O’CONNOR 
MAVERICKS 
BONANZA 

RIDGEWAY OF MONTANA 
WYOMING 

A DAUGHTER OF THE DONS 

THE HIGHGRADER 

THE DESERT’S PRICE 

IRONHEART 

ROADS OF DOUBT 

TROUBLED WATERS 

CROOKED TRAILS AND STRAIGHT 


GROSSET & DUNLAP, Publishers, NEW YORK 


THE NOVELS OF SINCLAIR LEWIS 


May be had wherever books are sold. Ask for Grosset & Dunlap’s list. 


DOSDWORTH 

The story of a successful American business man who, having 
retired, goes abroad with his beautiful but shallow wife in search 
of the carefree happiness he had missed in his youth. 

ELMER GANTRY 

Elmer Gantry, hypocrite and voluptuary, is painted against a 
background of church members and professing Christians scarcely 
less hypocritical than he. In this book Sinclair Lewis adds a vio- 
lent stroke to his growing picture of materialistic America. 

MANTRAP 

A clever satire on the adventures of a New York lawyer seek- 
ing rest and diversion in the northwoods. Instead of rest he finds 
trouble in the person of his host’s wife— young, pretty and flirtatious. 

ARROWSMITH 

The story of a country doctor whose search for truth led him 
to the heights of the medical profession, to the heights and depths 
of love and marriage and to final peace as a quietly heroic laboratory 
worker. 


BABBITT 

Every man will recognize in the character of George Babbitt 
something of himself. He was a booster and a joiner, but behind 
all of his activities was a wistful wonder as to what life holds. 

MAIN STREET 

Carol Kennicott’s attempt to bring life and culture to Gopher 
Prairie and Gopher Prairie’s reaction toward her teachings have 
made this book one of the most famous of the last decade. 


GROSSET & DUNLAP, Publishers, NEW YORK 


PETER B. KYNE’S NOVELS 

May be had wherever books are sold. Ask for Grosset & Dunlap’s list. 


Mr. Kyne is a globe-trotter and all the seven seas and 
the islands therein are likely in the future to contribute 
color for the vivid stories of action and romance which 
come so readily to his teeming fancy. And these will be 
welcomed by the legion of readers who look to him for 
entertainment in an all ’round good story. 

LORD OF LONELY VALLEY 

THE GRINGO PRIVATEER 

OUTLAWS OF EDEN 

GOLDEN DAWN 

JIM THE CONQUEROR 

THE PARSON OF PANAMINT 

TIDE OF EMPIRE 

THE THUNDER GOD 

THEY ALSO SERVE 

THE UNDERSTANDING HEART 

MONEY TO BURN 

THE ENCHANTED HILL 

NEVER THE TWAIN SHALL MEET 

THE PRIDE OF PALOMAR 

CAPPY RICKS 

CAPPY RICKS RETIRES 

KINDRED OF THE DUST 

THE VALLEY OF THE GIANTS 

WEBSTER: MAN’S MAN 

CAPTAIN SCRAGGS 

THE LONG CHANCE 


GROSSET & DUNLAP, Publishers, NEW YORK 


JACKSON GREGORY’S NOVELS 

May be had wherever books ara sold. Ask for Grosset and Dunlap’s List. 


THE SILVER STAR 

A wayward son. implicated in several murders, assumes the silver star of 
the sheriff’s office. 

THE TRAIL TO PARADISE 

Romance, quick shooting adventure, and one of the weirdest of mysteries 
are in this thorough-going western story. 

MYSTERY AT SPANISH HACIENDA 

The story of Rapidan, who thought it fun to buy his cat in a sack, and 
who came upon adventures thick and fast. 

SENTINEL OF THE DESERT 

A fascinating story of mystery, adventure and love in the dangerous 
days of the old Southwest. 

EMERALD TRAILS 

Hard riding, reckless adventure — a story based upon the smuggling 
of jewels from the Orient through the redwoods of California. 

CAPTAIN CAVALIER 

A romance of Old California in the days of the Spanish Aristocracy. 

A DESERT THOROUGHBRED 

The thrilling adventures of Camilla Darrel across the Mexican border. 

THE MAID OF THE MOUNTAIN 

A thrilling story about a lovely girl who flees to the mountains to 
avoid an obnoxious suitor — and finds herself suspected of murder. 

THE EVERLASTING WHISPER 

Tells of a strong man’s struggle against savage nature and of a 
girl’s regeneration from a spoiled child of wealth into a courageous, 
strong-willed woman. 

MAN TO MAN 

How Steve won his game and the girl he loved is a story filled with 
breathless situations. 

THE BELLS OF SAN JUAN 

Dr. Virginia Page is forced to go with the sheriff on a night 
journey into the strongholds of a lawless; band. 

JUDITH OF BLUE LAKE RANCH 

Judith Sanford, part owner of a cattle ranch, realizes that she is 
being robbed by her foreman. With the help of Bud Lee she check- 
mates Trevor’s scheme. 

WOLF BREED 

No Luck Brennan, a woman hater, finds a match in Ygerne whose 
clever fencing wins the admiration and love of the Lone» Wolf. 


GROSSET & DUNLAP, Publishers, NEW YORK 


CHARLES ALDEN SELTZER’S 
WESTERN NOVELS 


May be had wherever books are sold. Ask for Grosset &. Dunlap’s list 


The west is Mr. Seltzer’s special field. He has a long list o 
novels under his name, and they all deal with those vast areas 
where land is reckoned in miles, not in acres, and where the popu- 
lation per square mile, excluding cattle, is sparce and breathing space 
is ample. It is the west of an older day that Mr. Seltzer handle? 
and a west that few novelists know as well as he. 

DOUBLE CROSS RANCH 

A SON OF ARIZONA 

THE RED BRAND 

GONE NORTH 

LONESOME RANCH 

THE RAIDER 

THE : MESA 

MYSTERY RANGE 

LAND OF THE FREE 

THE GENTLEMAN FROM VIRGINIA 

THE VALLEY OF THE STARS 

CHANNING COMES THROUGH 

LAST HOPE RANCH 

BRASS COMMANDMENTS 

WEST! 

SQUARE DEAL SANDERSON 
"BEAU” RAND 
THE BOSS OF THE LAZY Y 
"DRAG” HARLAN 
THE TRAIL HORDE 
THE RANCHMAN 
FIREBRAND TREVISON 
THE RANGE BOSS 

THE VENGEANCE OF JEFFERSON GAWNE 


GROSSET & DUNLAP, Publishers, NEW YORK 











A ^ 



'P ^~0 '« 

■f r. A ‘n 

^ *fV 


O, ** , <S <1 

c"',.^. ** ^ 



^UnS 


o 0 



sy J 

V. \v *i • /> 

7A/A./v* r; °V 0 

v * s ^ A * 

<* .-v A» *■ 

* ^ A* 

r v V 







° v> *%> 3 

* V 3 V- ^ 

•s .V ■ * 

(/’.•A'AA. "" ^ 


0 4> V 



’ <r A . 

V'^V^'aV''**' 

-# V ^ * ^Sv A. ^ 

\ *a v* ; 

o ^ °<* ^ ^ ■% ^ 

^ * 0 To ^ ‘ * 9 1 ■* * ' \^ s * * r * 3 N 0 ' A°° ^ 

N *<A A'*A ^C> V > AT A*A ^ 

* A* ^ v> * - - A* + 

% <y : ^|\MA ° ^ <$ l 

A X> A, -■ sslf fl§b' ° V 5 ^ ° V/ WP * ,vv A/> 

- * . wAa -b A> • / "' -i ^ A *. XsHS^ * 

C> /y i s v \0 <" y o « ^ "* A O 'V , s 

^ C *A, ** g°\aAA* / .‘l‘*A ** ^ 

^ „ < #///% ■? x, A 

*1 b 0- * ^ •< AS 



<* <*>. .'V 

' % ^ * 







o 

a5 ^ 

-v c^ y , <3 o *- 

t .., e- *<> no’ jo j \ » 

> V v ' -A*?-!'',, > Sr i' 1 ” 0 /' ^c> 



8,A s S * » / ^ 

\ «** *jWt*- /^A' > - % ^ 

' _ ^wW /S 2 ; - 

<i> ^ 

* «* ^ ^ *y <%, % . * o> 

V i B C y 0 ^ A °0 ^ ^ s s N v 0 V <* y " • ^ 

s% /^'' °- ’ * o^i i " " 

^ •< ^ A v^ o 

» • * 






O c$ ° 





; ^ o x 

<r 

v, oS A, ^ 

A*-* ^ 



% & 
V v 





HV^HHBHHHHI > : 

* ° « " 5 4°° , . 0 %. sTT^\/ s . . , 'S, '* , ,»’ c % % 

t 0 V <- 0 /• C k \> \. s ^ r '' > ,0 V o t * o ^ 

<v ^ ^ * «. /^v;, 

° V <P » - ^-% s . ® 

ci' y /^U»r s ^•C.' * 15 ^ •* s 

^/> y y * * s s ^>0 <“ y o * x ^ A o, -V , ^ , s ' < 

^oo< A #' ' ~ - 

~ A '*d> * o \° °x<> 

N \ k y ^<S> , Cs’ •>> J, c V 

' * • ■ ' ‘ °/‘ s . . ,>;* » - ’ V° . 0 ; V * ■'■ ’ *' vA * . . r ^ 

> ^ gfrsflM*. f aA V V- <p Cj, o ^ V v 

^ \\’ ^ ^sk^s * A. ^ 





-• .Vi 



> ^>^' 



aV 




_ I ISO. 

* o M \ 

#■ V \x, '* 

I; tf ; 

ft* ,V V "% 1 

*' s 4 ° vlfl <b 

s JL** *+ 



** .*m v = % <* * 

^ z 

° 



?c^v * > '>-~ * ' 

L > Jy 


^ % 

ri 





y * ☆ s <* y o * K ^ \ ' 

'■^ cPV‘bb V // '' 

- - ^ / = 

* 


J= x° bf. 



*fe o^ . 

1 * 

^ x ///// I JW -y O V ^ 

L * * Jp c Vf- - - w - 

<=*. » , , , •' .# % » »TT’“ ^ 9 = *■ ; 

ft c ^ v s v »^j* •> ^ * v ••'> ■' ' 

N ^ a T^ ^ i <2 5> * -P 

cA ^ jA^r A r ‘ <* 

> - Mj^ ° 2 <v « 




I 


i 

t 



i 







